Although the SES stressed the release of the maps were “not a tsunami warning”, many were led to believe that the severe weather NSW was battling this weekend was linked to the possibility of a tsunami.
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“Average wave heights in excess of 5 metres have been recorded along the NSW coast on Sunday, with highest waves exceeding 12 metres”, an advisory statement from the BOM read.
Hundreds of people were evacuated from homes across New South Walks, and motorists trapped on roads had to be rescued as floodwaters rose, the State Emergency Service said.
500 people were ordered to evacuate Lismore in the state’s north, with waters peaking at around 10 metres in the late afternoon. The chaos was forecast to continue through Sunday night and Monday morning.
A gust of wind of 117kph was reported in Sydney Harbour, and across Sydney the winds were intense.
Sydney’s wild weather brought out amateur and professional photographers and videographers alike on Saturday.
An east-coast low usually affects only a local region intensely, but the current weather system was “very unusua, l” as it has tracked along the coastline, affecting four states, particularly NSW, which has a 2,000-kilometer (1,250-mile) shoreline, Morgan added.
The Bureau of Meteorology on Monday warned that high tides would exceed those experienced over the weekend, and would be greater than seen during devastating conditions in 2012.
As of Sunday, more than 28,500 homes and business were without power across Sydney and the Central Coast, according to Sky News.
Crews work to remove a fallen fig tree at Brisbane’s Normanby Hotel.
Victoria and Tasmania are also seeing torrential downpours, and are bracing for conditions to worsen as the system slowly creeps southwards.
“NSW forecasters can’t recall having a floodwatch for the entire east coast of NSW in the last 30 years”, senior meteorologist Adam Morgan of the Bureau of Meteorology’s extreme weather section told AFP.
On Saturday, the carpark of the Toombul Shopping Centre in Brisbane was completely flooded.
“Most of these have been because people have driven in the flood waters”, NSW SES Acting Commissioner Greg Newton said, urging residents to avoid travelling where possible and to never drive into flood waters.
Assistant Commissioner for Queensland Fire and Emergency Services Kevin Walsh said the SES responded to more than 1000 calls for help.
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The weather system has extended down to Tasmania, with an “exceptional” swell up to 8m expected to hit Tasmania’s north-east today.
