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Here’s What Happens When Sydney Gets A Month’s Rainfall In 2 Hours

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hayleywilliams

Hello from beautiful, sunny Sydney, where the morning’s rainfall managed to drop the equivalent of November’s average monthly rainfall in just two hours. The torrential rain has managed to flood roads, bridges and houses, and has shut down much of Sydney’s public transport network. Here’s what the rain has done to Sydney and its surrounds.

While Sydney isn’t as flood-prone as some of Australia’s other major cities (looking at you, Brisbane), it’s really not equipped for any large amount of rainfall, either.

The rainfall has been heaviest in central and northern Sydney, where as much as 118mm of rain have been recorded. The average monthly rainfall for November in Sydney is just 83.6mm.

As with past floods, the rain has inundated train stations and roads, impacting Sydney’s already somewhat shaky public transport network:

In some places station tunnels and walkways were completely flooded, causing people to take their shoes and socks off to wade through calf-deep water.

In other places, roads and parks are barely visible under the water.

In some cases, the flooding has majorly affected residences and businesses:

Despite the SES’s sage advice not to drive through floodwaters, there are plenty of videos on Twitter of people driving through floodwaters.

Already multiple rescues have had to be made as cars have become stuck in floodwaters. One involved injuries to two police officers involved in the rescue due to a falling tree.

And if that wasn’t enough, power outages have hit across Sydney due to downed powerlines and flooded infrastructure.

These are the numbers to call if you see downed lines in your area:

While Sydney airport hasn’t wholly closed, they have warned that flights may be delayed and cancelled from both domestic and international terminals.

If you have flights to catch to or from Sydney today, keep up with the latest from your airline and the airport.

So remember: if you’re in Sydney today, try and find somewhere dry and warm for the day, and avoid travelling if you can. Don’t drive or walk through floodwaters, and be prepared to be at the mercy of the weather if you try to catch public transport.

Wildlife rescue service WIRES also released some advice on what we can do to help wildlife that may be suffering from the storms as much as we are:

Stay safe out there!

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