Sydney Gets A Month's Rain In One Night, Major River Could Exceed Levels Of Devastating 1988 Floods

Sydney, the capital of New South Wales, received nearly a month's rain overnight. The torrential rain has turned suburban roads into rivers and triggered evacuations.

Traffic make its way in to the city on the Anzac Bridge during rainfall in Sydney on April 7, 2022, as inclement weather triggered evacuation orders in several suburbs of Sydney's south and southwest. | AFP

New Delhi: Tremendous downpour occurred in Australia's east coast on Thursday, April 7. Sydney, the most populous city in Australia and the capital of New South Wales, received nearly a month's rain overnight, news agency Reuters reported.

Authorities have warned that more rain will occur through the day.

The torrential rain has turned suburban roads into rivers and triggered evacuations.

The Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales, has warned that the Nepean River in Sydney's west will reach levels similar to the devastating floods in April 1988. The Bureau of Meteorology also said that major flooding will take place along the river at Menangle, Camden, and Wallacia. It also said that the Hawkesbury river at North Richmond may reach major flooding due to the record-breaking rainfall.

⚠️ Major flooding along #NepeanRiver at #Menangle, #Camden and #Wallacia to reach similar levels to April 1988 flood. #HawkesburyRiver at #NorthRichmond may reach major flooding with rain See https://t.co/AdztI2rqg1 for details and updates; follow advice from @NSWSES. #NSWFloods pic.twitter.com/KWFPuORkS8

— Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) April 7, 2022

What Is The Impact Of The Strange Weather Event On Sydney?

According to media reports, emergency crews rescued a man swept away by floodwaters in the city's northwest. Vehicles were seen struggling to cross waterlogged streets in television footage. Also, power lines and trees had fallen, and debris was floating in rivers.

More than 100 millimetres of rain fell on Sydney in the past 24 hours, media reports said. 

A record 114 millimetres of rain occurred in Sydney in a day. The Australian city also recorded 125 millimetres of rain at the Sydney Airport. 

Rain, rain, go away… #Sydney has recorded 114mm in the past 24 hours and 125mm at #SydneyAirport @9NewsSyd pic.twitter.com/aC11Xh6Cqf

— Kate Creedon (@KateCreedon9) April 6, 2022

The mean average of rain for April, from measurements taken between 1858 and 2020, is 126.5 millimetres, according to the Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales. 

In just the first three months of 2022, Sydney has surpassed its annual rainfall average of 1213.4 millimetres.

Millions of people across New South Wales are facing an ongoing major weather event on Thursday as well as Friday. 

Evacuation Orders Issued In Several Regions

Emergency crews urged the harbour city's five million residents to avoid unnecessary travel and brace for possible evacuations, a Reuters report said. The crews evacuated residents of a nursing home overnight. 

Other regions where evacuation orders have been issued include parts of Woronora and Bonnet Bay in the Sutherland Shire, as well as Chipping Norton in the south-west. 

The Woronora Bridge is likely to be submerged at 1.7 metres, according to media reports.

Quoting New South Wales emergency services Acting Commissioner Daniel Austin, the Reuters report said this is a "highly dynamic situation", and these events are moving "exceptionally quickly". Austin said during a media briefing that "exceptionally sharp, short bursts of rain" have been creating flash flooding almost every hour.

Austin also said there have been more than 680 calls for help in Sydney, according to a report by Australian news website nine.au.com.

Also, there have been 25 flood rescues. Emergency crews are focusing resources in the Illawarra as roads have become cascading rivers due to the sudden downpour. 

Quoting Austin, the report said that the highest areas of activity are through the likes of the Sutherland Shire, down through into the Illawarra. 

Corrimal, which is near Wollongong, has streets flooded with water reaching to the top of car tyres.

Picton Central Business District (CBD) is facing an evacuation warning. Stonequarry Creek, located on the Main Southern railway in the south-western Sydney town of Picton, is continuing to rise.

Strong coastal winds sent falling stormwater back up the cliffs at Dover, a coastal suburb of Sydney, the report said.

New South Wales Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS) crew assisted the New South Wales State Emergency Service (NSW SES) with sandbagging shops and homes around the Picton CBD. 

#NSWRFS crews are assisting the @NSWSES with sandbagging shops and homes around the Picton CBD. The Stonequarry Creek is rising and the SES is advising people in the area to prepare to evacuate. pic.twitter.com/iISbGA0glR

— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) April 7, 2022

The Bureau of Meteorology said that Cronulla in the Sutherland Shire was hit by 107 millimetres of rain in just three hours overnight. In over six hours, Little Bay, a suburb in southeastern Sydney, recorded 107 millimetres of rain.

What Have Residents Been Advised To Do?

A lot of roads have been cut off by flash flooding, SES Assistant Commissioner Dean Storey said, according to reports?

He advised people in affected areas to avoid unnecessary travel, and asked them to stay off the roads. He urged people not to drive through flood waters in case they need to hit the roads.

Storey also urged people in the Hawkesbury-Nepean catchment to have flood plans in place. 

Quoting Storey, the nine.com.au report said that there have been almost 600 requests for assistance from the community overnight, and 11 flood rescues. 

He further said that NSW SES is expecting those numbers to increase "unfortunately today" as the rain continues.

He said it is a "very dynamic and volatile situation" today in those areas.

As powerful wind gusts batter Sydney's coastline, reverse waterfalls formed at Diamond Bay in Vaucluse, an eastern suburb of Sydney. 

According to the report, Miriam Bradbury from the Bureau of Meteorology said that falls of up to 140 millimetres in six hours were expected in some areas along the central and southern New South Wales coastal regions. Also, broader falls of between 60 millimetres and 100 millimetres were expected in the same amount of time.

She warned of the risk of severe thunderstorms in New South Wales northeast on Thursday afternoon (local time) and on Friday.

Dams Are At Full Capacity

As the intense rain continues, almost all the places around Sydney are full. 

According to the report, Warragamba, Woronora, Avon, Cataract, Cordeaux, Tallowa, and Nepean are at 100 per cent capacity, with the Warragamba Dam set to spill tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Blue Mountains Dams, Prospect, Wingecarribee Reservoir, and Fitzroy Falls Reservoir are 90.4 per cent, 92.8 per cent, 89.6 per cent,and 82.2 per cent full, respectively.

This year, Sydney has received 1,227 millimetres or 48 inches of rain so far. This is more than its average annual rainfall of 1,213 millimetres. 

According to the Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales, many coastal towns could get up to 180 millimetres or seven inches of rain over the next 24 hours, media reports said. 

Official data showed that the tourist hot spot of Bondi recorded around 170 millimetres over the 24-hour period to Thursday, 9 am (Australian Eastern Standard Time). 

In order to help mitigate their losses, businesses cleared essentials. 

Nicola Gilfillan, a cafe owner in southwest Sydney, told ABC television that all hands are on deck to try and save some furniture. Hence, they have been pretty busy "lifting things up", "moving things away", and "unplugging filters and electricity", he said.

Oil mixed with floodwaters due to an oil spill from a fuel pit at a site owned by oil refiner Ampol in Sydney's south. According to the report, emergency crews said the spill had been contained and that the risk of danger was evaded.

Along the south coast of New South Wales, a severe weather warning stretched over a distance of more than 600 kilometres. The weather bureau, however, said that the conditions are expected to ease from Thursday evening. 

The La Nina weather phenomenon has dominated Australia's east coast summer for the second straight year. This phenomenon is typically associated with increased rainfall. Most rivers were at capacity even before the last drenching. 

According to reports, authorities said that Warragamba Dam, Sydney's major water supply, is expected to spill over on Friday.

Is Climate Change Responsible For These Intense Weather Events?

Eastern Australia has been impacted by three intense weather systems in six weeks. Several parts of northern New South Wales and southeast Queensland clocked record rains. 

Also, Sydney registered its wettest March on record.

It is widely believed that climate change is a contributing factor to the severe weather. This has raised questions about how prepared Australia is. 

However, Alexandra Marshall, an Australia-based author, said the severe weather is not due to climate change, but has been caused by urbanisation.

"As Sydney expanded, it built suburbs over natural drainage points. The same rain still falls, but now buildings, concrete, and roads, channel it into smaller exit points – leading to HIGHER and FASTER rapids," she wrote on Twitter.

As Sydney expanded, it built suburbs over natural drainage points. The same rain still falls, but now buildings, concrete, and roads, channel it into smaller exit points - leading to HIGHER and FASTER rapids.

It's not #ClimateChange - it's urbanisation.pic.twitter.com/aL3GsfVxXI

— Alexandra Marshall (@ellymelly) April 7, 2022

However, David Ritter, the Chief Executive Officer of Greenpeace Australia Pacific, believes that climate change is responsible for these increased extreme weather events. He wrote on Twitter Thursday that Sydney has received more rain in 2022 than it usually does in an entire year. "Climate change causes increased extreme weather events. We are living through extreme climate impacts, right now. We need to drastically cut emissions, right now, to ensure a safer future," he wrote.

Sydney has had more rain in 2022 than it usually does in an entire year.
Climate change causes increased extreme weather events.
-
We are living through extreme climate impacts, right now.
We need to drastically cut emissions, right now, to ensure a safer future. #auspol https://t.co/GYmRlfwB9j

— David Ritter (@David_Ritter) April 7, 2022

After two separate devastating floods in March, tonnes of debris covered several towns across northern South Wales, with people still battling to clear them. Now, the latest weather event has had a devastating impact on the state's central and southern coast.