More bad weather is on the way for parts of south-east Queensland and NSW but in what could be good news for many suffering, several severe weather warnings have been cancelled.
Brisbane’s volunteer clean up crew, known as the Mud Army, have been stood down until at least Saturday as the Queensland capital braces for more unprecedented weather.
The Brisbane City Council on Thursday afternoon told residents to stay at home and off the roads as possible thunderstorms and flash flooding are forecast for Friday.
Meanwhile, the Bureau of Meteorology has cancelled weather warnings for parts of NSW.
Severe weather had been forecast for the Northern Rivers, Mid North Coast, Hunter, Sydney and South Coast regions but the bureau late on Thursday night said the heavy rainfall over the Hunter and Mid North Coast area has now eased.
A similar warning issued for severe thunderstorms was also cancelled for the Northern Rivers, Mid North Coast and Northern Tablelands.
More bad weather is on the way for parts of NSW but severe weather warnings have been cancelled (pictured in Ballina)
A volunteer clean up crew in Brisbane has been told to stay indoors until at least Saturday as the city braces for more rain and potential flooding (pictured in Auchenflower, Brisbane)
A family are seen looking in awe at rising flood waters from the Hawkesbury River in Windsor, Sydney on Thursday
But thousands of Australians dealing with severe flooding are not yet out of the woods, with widespread rainfall still forecast for most of the affected NSW regions on Friday.
Countless towns have been left devastated by flooding in recent days with the clean up effort only now able to begin in some areas, while others remain submerged.
Sydney is expected to cop 20mm on Friday, a big drop from the 60-100mm which was predicted on Thursday evening. Residents have also been warned off hazardous surf conditions.
On Thursday night the BoM issued a major flood warning for areas near the Richmond River including Coraki, Woodburn and Bungawalbyn.
A moderate to major flood warning has also been given to the Hawkesbury, Nepean Valley and Colo River.
There were fears flooding in the Nepean and Hawkesbury rivers would exceed the levels of the devastation experienced in March, 2021, but the bureau has said that is now unlikely.
Locals have started the clean up process in Lismore
A man is seen walking through floodwaters with his dog in Milperra, south-west of Sydney
A staircase is seen submerged in water near the Hawkesbury River in Windsor
The Hawkesbury River at the Windsor Bridge was expected to reach 14m on Thursday night, well above levels recorded 12 months ago.
The river peaked at 12.92 metres at North Richmond while the Nepean River is tipped to rise to nine metres at Penrith.
The expected spillage at Warragamba Dam was also downgraded from 600 gigalitres to 300-350 gigalitres.
Half a million people across the state were subject to 76 evacuation orders or warnings, according to Premier Dominic Perrottet.
‘Things will get worse before they get better here in our state,’ he said on Thursday.
‘We do expect particularly in the Hawkesbury region that the floods will be worse than they were last year, and that we see more torrential rain and flooding in Newcastle and Hunter over the course of the day.
Brisbane is one area around Australia that has been devastated by floods
A man is seen trying to clear a drain along a street in Brisbane on Thursday
Bridges have been inundated with water in Sydney’s north-west
‘If you are subject to one of those evacuation warnings, please get ready.’
Up north in Queensland, residents are again bracing for the worst.
Students in the state’s south-east have been told to stay at home from school on Friday.
‘In addition to early collections in those areas today, tomorrow schools across the entire south-east region will only be open for children of essential workers,’ Queensland Education Minister Grace Grace said.
‘However, the message is stay off the roads and stay at home unless you really need to be out. This weather is of serious concern.’
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk on Thursday shocked many parents when she suddenly encouraged them to collect their kids in the Moreton Bay region, the Sunshine Coast, Gympie and Wide Bay to Bundaberg regions.
One Lismore local had no choice but to kayak down a main road
Loved ones find comfort in each other as they look at the damage by floods in Brisbane
NSW Police rescue teams are seen scouring floodwaters in north-west Sydney
‘Children are safe at school but you should collect your children when it is safe to do so,’ she said.
There are fears of flash flooding in the south-east on Friday but warnings for severe thunderstorms for the coastal area between Bundaberg and Gladstone on the coast was cancelled late on Thursday night.
There are hazardous surf warnings for the Fraser Island Coast, Sunshine Coast Waters and Gold Coast Waters.
Brisbane copped 48mm of rain in just 30 minutes on Thursday. Those near flood waters have been advised to get tetanus shots if not up to date.
Queensland Fire and Emergency Service state duty coordinator Superintendent Simon Evans said SES crews responded to 1,022 calls for help since 3pm on Thursday.
‘The thing to be aware of heading into the weekend is the threat from the weather,’ he said.
‘As we move into recovery mode, people need to be aware of the dangers that have been left behind. That’s those weakened trees, there’s also chemical residue, broken glass, downed power lines and all those other hazards.’
