This
was the outlook on the NSW North Coast last Saturday evening…..
The
Sydney Morning Herald,
12
December 2020:
Tens
of thousands of residents in northern NSW were on high alert on
Saturday evening ahead of wild weather expected to arrive late on
Sunday and into Monday.
Sandbagging
was under way and some residents were relocating to higher ground as
the Mid North Coast and Northern Rivers regions braces for torrential
rainfall and potential major flooding over the next 48 hours.
A
deepening trough over the state was also expected to be accompanied
by damaging winds gusting up to 90km/h and a damaging surf as waves
were set to exceed five metres.
The
Bureau of Meteorology has warned abnormally high tides could lead to
coastal inundation and significant beach erosion north from Ballina.
It
said rainfall was likely to be heavier in localities affected by
severe thunderstorms. "This may lead to dangerous flash
flooding,” it said.
The
community of Ocean Shores, near Byron Bay, was caught without warning
by flash flooding on Saturday afternoon.
An
hour of pelting rain saw the streets inundated with whitewater in the
coastal town.
The
greatest concern in NSW looking ahead is for low lying properties
that flank the Bellinger River, south of Coffs Harbour…..
The
NSW SES urged people in flood-prone parts of the Bellingen region to
relocate to the homes of family or friends outside the impact area….
A
string of other areas across the Mid North Coast and Northern Rivers
were also on flood watch on Saturday.
Catchments
likely to be affected include:
Tweed
and Rouse Rivers minor to moderate flooding
Brunswick
River and Marshalls Creek minor flooding
Wilsons
River minor to moderate flooding
Richmond
River minor flooding
Orara
River moderate flooding
Coffs
Coast minor flooding
Nambucca
River minor to moderate flooding
Hastings
River minor flooding
Authorities
warned high water levels due to spring tides added to the risk of
flooding in low lying areas…...
From Friday 11 to Saturday 12 December, although at least 108mm of rain had fallen on
the Clarence Coast and at least 125mm inland in the Grafton area, the rain had
not been accompanied by destructive storms and the Clarence River
system was in no danger of heavy flooding.
Evans Head on the coast which received 158.6mm of rain in the same period appeared to be weathering the rain dump reasonably well.
Early Monday morning after a day and night of continuing rain, strong winds, high seas and king tides the northern coastline of New South Wales was bruised and battered.
Gale warnings continue for waters from the Coffs Coast up to the Tweed Coast and into south-east Queensland.
The rain dump continues to sit on top of north-east NSW and the Bureau of Meteorology states that more heavy rainfall is expected, along with:
DAMAGING WINDS, with winds averaging 60-70 km/h and gusts exceeding 90 km/h are possible along the coastal fringe north from about Yamba, possibly extending south to about Crescent Head on the Mid North Coast during the day.
DAMAGING SURF, with waves exceeding 5 metres in the surf zone can be expected, extending south to Port Macquarie during the day, possibly leading to significant beach erosion.
ABNORMALLY HIGH TIDES are expected along the coast north from about Ballina during this morning's high tide, which may lead to localised coastal inundation.
The combination of Damaging Surf and Abnormally High Tides may enhance the risk of significant beach erosion north from about Ballina.
A Flood Watch is current for the Mid North Coast and Northern Rivers and Flood Warnings have been issued for the Tweed, Wilsons, Bellinger and Brunswick Rivers,
Locations which may be affected include Tweed Heads, Byron Bay, Lismore, Grafton, Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie, Sawtell and Dorrigo.
Overnight, there were over 700 SES call-outs along the Mid North and Far North Coast regions.
It is being reported that by Tuesday 15 December 2020, three day totals of 300-600 ml are predicted to fall across the North Coast.