NSW rain forecast comes with flood risk

| March 27, 2022

More forecast rain in NSW’s Northern Rivers and Mid North Coast regions is increasing the flood risk for already saturated catchments, the Bureau of Meteorology warns.

Rainfall predicted for early this week could result in minor and possibly higher flooding depending on how the weather system develops, a BoM warning issued on Saturday says.

Flood warnings are now current for Wollombi Brook, Culgoa River, Birrie River, Bokhara River, and Narran River.

The Bureau also warned that rainfall over the weekend could mean localised flash flooding and minor river flooding across the Northern Rivers, Mid North Coast, Hunter, the Northern Tablelands, and the Northwest Slopes and Plains.

Sydney is looking at another week of showers and there is a flood watch current for parts of southern Queensland.

The warning comes as insurers call for urgent disaster mitigation funding with the industry facing a bill of nearly $750 million from the NSW and Queensland floods.

NRMA Insurance says the country has just been through an unprecedented summer of extreme weather, including floods in South Australia and high heat resulting in bushfires in Western Australia.

There was a 53 per cent increase in home insurance claims compared to last year with the largest proportion in the ACT, Queensland and NSW.

The Insurance Council of Australia says there have been about 98,000 insurance claims in flood-affected parts of NSW and Queensland, with 60,000 outstanding and a bill of $742 million.