An almost week-long deluge of floods and thunderstorms is finally set to ease after communities in Australia’s eastern states were battered by heavy rain and winds.
Heavy rain pelted parts of Sydney, including hail in Parramatta and Eastwood, sparking 200 calls for help to the NSW State Emergency Service (SES) on Saturday night.
At about 7.30 p.m. on Saturday, the Bureau of Meteorology issued a severe weather warning for heavy rainfall, damaging winds, and large hailstones in parts of NSW.
While the warning has since been cancelled, Sydney can expect a high chance of showers on Sunday afternoon and evening with the chance of a thunderstorm.
A lingering low-pressure trough has brought showers and thunderstorms to eastern and southern areas, causing rivers to flood, with some people needing to be rescued.
The trough is expected to move offshore late on Sunday and into Monday, bringing relief.
Scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms across the NSW-Victorian border area are expected to ease and move eastwards throughout the day.
Flood warnings for Victoria’s Thomson and Avon rivers have been downgraded, however moderate renewed rises were possible with further rainfall.
The bureau warned of possible heavy rainfalls in Gippsland on Sunday morning with a chance of a thunderstorm in the northeast.
On Saturday, parts of the Gippsland region recorded more than 40mm of rain from 9 a.m., with the drenching continuing into the afternoon.
The SES has received more than 900 requests for help since the beginning of the storm and rain event on Wednesday, with about 700 relating to fallen trees.
Parts of eastern Victoria are predicted to record rainfalls of 100mm across the weekend on top of the 200 to 300mm received since Wednesday.
