National

NSW flood warnings as heavy rain continues

By AAP Newswire

May 24, 2022

A rainy Lismore in March. — Rain continues to hit the NSW coast and a hazardous surf warning applies from Byron to Batemans Bay. -AAP Image

People living in the NSW Northern Rivers region are enduring more rain as they try to recover from the impact of devastating floods earlier this year.

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The Bureau of Meteorology says the Wilson River at Lismore peaked near the minor flood level on Monday night after heavy rain in recent days, with the downpour expected to continue all week.

A minor flood warning is current for the nearby Richmond River.

Meanwhile, a hazardous surf warning is in place for much of the NSW coast, from Byron Bay in the north to Batemans Bay in the south.

Soils in the Northern Rivers region and the northeast of the state remain heavily saturated from a record-breaking deluge of rain over summer, increasing the chances of flash flooding.

The BOM says the La Niña conditions that brought unprecedented rain and flooding to vast swathes of the coast in summer and autumn will continue throughout winter, bringing above-average rainfall for much of eastern Australia.

Some areas had already reached the average rainfall for May in the past few days, the BOM said.