Flood warnings in northern NSW as states smashed by more rain

Another huge rain system is expected to keep drenching the east coast of Australia this week, with parts of northern NSW now on alert for flash flooding.

Eight rivers in the already soaked region – including the Hastings and Nambucca Rivers – were on flood watch by Tuesday morning, according to the Bureau of Meteorology*.

BOM senior meteorologist* Miriam Bradbury said showers would impact much of the Queensland and NSW coastline.

“Isolated, scattered showers are expected across much of south-east Queensland, southern inland Queensland as well as across parts of the Darling Downs,” Ms Bradbury said.

“For NSW, it’s mainly focused along the east coast and northern areas, but there will be showers around Sydney and the Illawarra region as well.

“These showers are expected to kind of fill out to more widespread, persistent rainfall by late Wednesday.”

The heaviest rains are expected in the Northern Rivers and NSW Mid North Coast, with forecast daily rainfall totals averaging 30mm to 50mm. Isolated showers could bring up to 100mm in some areas.

Sydney is likely to be spared the heaviest rains, with the city predicted to receive daily totals below 15mm on Wednesday and Thursday.

Heavy rains have already hit parts of NSW, with Point Perpendicular in Jervis Bay on the South Coast copping 71mm in the 24 hours to 7am on Tuesday.

Toukley on the Central Coast also received heavy rains with 60mm overnight, while Cronulla in Sydney had 45mm.

The intense rainfall along the east coast was expected to ease by Friday.

“It is looking like a very wet week ahead, but the rainfall does seem to be concentrated on Wednesday and Thursday,” Ms Bradbury said.

Flood warnings are in place for areas around the Namoi and Orara Rivers as well as Tamworth, Narrabri and Moree, which are also expected to see heavy falls.

Residents were warned the rainfall could lead to minor to moderate flooding.

“Recent rainfall has left the Peel and Namoi catchments* saturated, increasing the risk of flooding,” the warning stated.

“There is a potential for moderate flooding to develop along the Peel and Namoi Rivers during Thursday.

“There is some degree of uncertainty over the exact location and timing of the heaviest falls. Localised river level rises and flash flooding are likely within the areas of heaviest rainfall.”

AUSTRALIANS SHIVER THROUGH THIS YEAR'S COLDEST NIGHT
From Sunday into Monday, Australia battled through 2025’s coldest night, as NSW recorded its most bone-chilling weather temperature in more than seven years.

WeatherZone reported overnight the temperature of -13.2C recorded at Thredbo Top Station in NSW. It was the harshest across the country, beating other locations by more than 5.5C.

It falls just short of the -13.5C recorded in the small town of Liawenee in Tasmania in 2024.

Australia’s other seven states also recorded shivering temperatures overnight on August 17.

Mount Hotham in Victoria recorded the next coldest temperature of -7.6C, followed by Canberra’s -6.1C and the -4.3C in Queensland’s southern town of Applethorpe.

Tasmania followed closely behind at -4.2C in the town of Ouse, with Keith West in South Australia clocking in at -0.1C.

The warmest temperatures were still cold in the Northern Territory and Western Australia, as Alice Springs Airport hit 1.4C and Forrest reached 2.4C.

A popular ski destination, Thredbo’s weather site is at an elevation* of 1957m – that factor plus a rare windless night delivered the win for coldest recorded temperature.

Around 10cm of fresh snow over the weekend also helped the extremely chilly conditions.

Many Australians will welcome the slight thaw as the end of winter nears. Broome and Townsville appear to be heating up with minimum temperatures in the mid teens, with mostly sunny conditions for the rest of the week.

Darwin remains the most unaffected by cold weather, with conditions only reaching a low of 18C as maximum temperatures look to reach more than an astounding* 33C by Wednesday.

Conditions remain cooler in Brisbane and Sydney, hovering between 10 and 13C through the week, but showers are forecast to keep coming.

Temperatures in Hobart, Melbourne and Adelaide remain much lower at between 2-6C despite the much sunnier conditions in these capitals.

HOW TO STAY SAFE
Here are some tips on how to stay safe during flash flooding events:

* Secure loose outdoor items – make sure anything outside that could be easily thrown by strong winds, like a trampoline, has been anchored down before the storm starts

* Stay away from flood water – Don’t drive, ride or walk through floodwater, it is dirty, dangerous and fast-moving. If it’s flooded – forget it

* If you are trapped by flash flooding – seek safety in the highest available place and ring triple-0 if you need rescue

* Stay away from stormwater drains – these are extremely hazardous during heavy rain and floods. Please make sure you keep well clear of them at all times, they’re bad news for kids

* Keep pets inside – if the weather is wild outside, remember to keep pets inside, where you can keep them safe

* Suggest your parents download the Hazards Near Me app – this app shows current information about emergency warnings in your local watch zone so they can stay up to date on the latest flood advice

POLL

GLOSSARY

• meteorology: the study of the processes in the Earth’s atmosphere that cause particular weather conditions, especially in order to predict the weather
• meteorologists: specialists in the study of the Earth’s atmosphere and weather-forming processes, including weather forecasting
• catchments: the area of land from which water flows into a river, lake, or reservoir, which is a place for storing liquid
• elevation: altitude of a place above sea or ground level
• astounding: shocking, amazing, very surprising

EXTRA READING

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QUICK QUIZ

1. Where are the heaviest falls expected in the coming days?
2. Where was the coldest temperature of the year recorded and what was it?
3. What factors contributed to this icy temperature?
4. Where was the second coldest temperature recorded?
5. Which capital city appears to be untouched by cold weather and what is the forecast there for Wednesday?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Weather report
Read out the upcoming weather conditions cited in the Kids News article as if you were the weather reporter on the nightly news. Use expression, clear and smooth voice and make the weather sound interesting and entertaining!

Perform your weather report in front of some of your classmates.

Time: allow 15 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Science, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

2. Extension
Draw your own weather map of your local area citing weather conditions occurring in your area currently, and what is expected for the rest of the week.

Time: allow 15 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Science, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

VCOP ACTIVITY
BAB it!
Show you have read and understood the article by writing three sentences using the connectives “because’’, “and”, and “but” (BAB).

Your sentences can share different facts or opinions, or the same ones but written about in different ways.

What can you come up with?

Remember to use your VCOP editing skills to read aloud, edit and up-level.