Extreme weather conditions have continued to batter Australia’s eastern seaboard, with heavy rain and damaging winds causing havoc for residents.
Northern New South Wales and south east Queensland are in the midst of the first La Nina rain storm of the season, with a month’s worth of rain tipped to fall by Sunday.
Parts of both states are on flood watch after more than 200mm of rain lashed regions including Bowraville and Coffs Harbour, with the worst still to come.Â
More heavy rain is forecast for the remainder of the weekend, with the heaviest falls expected on Sunday night.Â
Wet and windy weather has continued in New South Wales and Queensland. Pictured: flash flooding in Tweed Heads
A fish was spotted swimming across a road through flood waters in Mudgeeraba, in the Gold Coast, after the city copped almost 500mm of rain overnight
The Gold Coast copped almost 500mm of rain on Saturday before the rain moved south, with residents in Ocean Shores near Byron Bay experiencing flash flooding.
The downpour was so heavy fish were spotted swimming across a flooded road in Mudgeeraba. Â
Local resident Darren Crisp posted a video online of a large carp making its way up Somerset drive.Â
Experts warned half a metre of rain would fall in just four days, putting homeowners on watch, with evacuation orders forcing residents onto higher ground in Sawtell.Â
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Residents living in the vicinity of 59-69 Boronia Street were told to leave by authorities on Saturday after almost 150mm fell in less than 24 hours.
SES volunteers and NSW Police told residents to self-evacuate to higher ground, with the local surf life saving club used as an evacuation point.  Â
Bowraville copped 203mm of rain in the 24 hours to 9am Saturday morning.
‘It’s not quite a record but it’s the heaviest rain since February,’ Bureau of Meteorology Duty Forecaster Jonathon How told Daily Mail Australia.
Wild weather has caused havoc on the roads for motorists. Pictured: rain and flood water erodes through a street in Tweed Heads on Saturday
A motorist loads up his car with sand bags at Pimpama on the Gold Coast amid heavy rainfall in the region on Sunday
Coffs Harbour also copped a drenching, recording 151mm by Saturday morning.
Mr How said there is still plenty of rain to come, with some areas expecting at least half a metre of water by Tuesday prompting major flood warnings.
‘There are moderate to major flood warnings for the Bellinger River and definitely concern for flooding in Coffs Harbour,’ he said.
The NSW SES had about 150 calls over Friday and Saturday, with most coming out of Coffs Harbour, Kempsey and Port Macquarie.
Emergency services are bracing for the peak of the storm on Sunday evening, with heavy rain and wind gusts of more than 90km/h forecast for northern New South Wales.
Damaging surf conditions will pound the coast until Tuesday, with wave heights peaking at five metres on Sunday evening.
Authorities have urged beach users to stay out of the water.
The weather system is due to strengthen over northern New South Wales on Sunday night
SES volunteers sand bag a property in Tweed Heads on Saturday after stormy conditions battered the region
A severe weather warning for damaging winds, abnormally high tides and dangerous surf is in place from Fraser Island to the NSW border.
A strong wind warning has been issued for mariners from Mackay to the Gold Coast, with gales of up to 40 knots possible.
Damaging winds with gusts up to 90km/h are also possible.
The coastal trough driving the weather entered southeast Queensland on Saturday night and is forecast to strengthen and returning to NSW on Monday, bringing strong winds and dangerous sea conditions.Â
Areas of the coast will also see severe coastal erosion as Mr How described the weather as ‘pretty nasty for the next three to four days’.Â
While heavy rain has already fallen it is expected to get even heavier for the mid-north and northern rivers coast in NSW.
‘There’s another big burst of rain coming down from the tropics tomorrow morning,’ Mr How said.
‘The heaviest falls will start around Fraser Island and the Sunshine Coast early Sunday morning and will gradually shift down to NSW’.
Strong winds caused significant damage in northern New South Wales. Pictured: trees cover a road way in Tweed Heads
Maroochydore residents walk in torrential rain across the rising Maroochy River on the Sunshine Coast
While there are severe weather warnings, Mr How says the rain will be a reprieve for firefighters tackling bushfires on Fraser Island.
‘There’s been some showers overnight and there’s more on the way but hopefully they get a good drenching to put out the fire,’ he said.
With the rain there will also be windy conditions out in the water for south-east Queensland prompting warnings for wind and hazardous surf.
Mr How is urging people to stay off the roads and to take care when driving while the heavy rain hits.
‘Check in with local emergency services and always follow advice – don’t drive over flooded water and check all the warnings for the weekend,’ he said.
The NSW State Emergency Service has sent extra volunteers, including flood rescue technicians, to the area to cope with requests for help.
‘We’re expecting we will see a lot of people in orange uniforms out and about helping the communities in which they live,’ SES Chief Superintendent Greg Swindells told reporters on Friday.
The SES has advised that those caught up in flooding should never drive through flood water, and should seek refuge in the highest available place if required.
