(Bloomberg) — Sydney could be be hit by more than a month’s worth of rain and severe weather in the coming days as an intense low-pressure system off the east coast batters the city, as well as regions already hit by extreme flooding this year.
Some parts of the coast already recorded as much as 70mm of rain over Monday night, according to the Bureau of Meteorology, with airlines Jetstar and Virgin Australia canceling flights out of Sydney and the regional city of Newcastle on Tuesday, due to the weather conditions.
Flood warnings are in place for parts of New South Wales state, including Sydney and the central coast area, north of the city.
“What we expect is that rain will be very rapid, it will be heavy, it will be short and sharp,” New South Wales State Emergency Service Deputy Commissioner Debbie Platz said Tuesday morning, adding that the worst impacts were expected during the next 24 hours.
Moderate to heavy rainfall, from 50mm to 150mm, was expected in many areas in the 24 hours from Tuesday morning, with isolated pockets excess of 200mm, she said. Average July rainfall for Sydney is 96mm, according to the Bureau.
The area surrounding Sydney, Australia’s biggest city, has significant mining and agricultural industries.
New South Wales has already been severely impacted multiple times by flooding and extreme weather in recent months, with this week’s storm likely to hamper recovery efforts. As recently as May, flooding causes widespread damage across the state’s central coast, leaving tens of thousands of residents isolated.
In June, the Australian government estimated that natural disasters so far in 2025, including the New South Wales flooding, had cost the economy at least A$2.2 billion ($1.4 billion).
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