Heavy rains bucketing down over the Canberra region have led to leaky roofs, fallen trees and localised flooding since Thursday morning amid what is now officially Canberra’s wettest November on record.
Parts of the ACT received between 30-50mm of rain yesterday, while the Bureau of Meteorology’s Canberra Airport weather station recorded 26.8mm of rain overnight.
The recent deluge has led to 147.8mm of rain so far this month – Canberra’s wettest November on record – two-and-a-half times Canberra’s November mean, and significantly higher than the previous 2010 record of 119.4mm.
This flooding has been caused due to high soil moisture content leading to overloading of stormwater systems and overland flooding.
The ACT State Emergency Service (ACTSES) has received more than 100 requests for assistance since 9am yesterday.
With more rain expected today, ACTSES is reminding the community to never drive, walk, or ride through floodwaters.
Moderate rainfall across the Queanbeyan catchment overnight Thursday into Friday has caused some river rises. Minor flooding is likely to develop at Oaks Estate and Queanbeyan on Friday morning.
Minor flooding is likely along the Queanbeyan and Molonglo rivers today, with Queanbeyan River’s Queens Bridge likely to have reached the minor flood level of 4.2m around 11am.
The Molonglo River at Oaks Estate was also predicted to reach its minor flood level of 4.5m at 11am.
It is likely the November rain record will be pushed even higher with intermittent light rain, strong winds and even the chance of a thunderstorm forecast for the week ahead.
Widespread flooding is being recorded across NSW as extended heavy rains fall in areas where the ground is saturated and rivers already high.
Australia is on track for its wettest spring in a decade and some regions in NSW have already received more than three times their average rainfall for November.
The Bureau of Meteorology on Friday morning warned severe thunderstorms are likely to bring damaging winds and more heavy rain to parts of the Hunter, mid north coast and northwest slopes and plains regions.
Many of the areas impacted by the deluge in recent weeks have been farmland, with growers watching paddocks disappear under water and their crops destroyed after many years of drought conditions.
That has prompted the NSW Farmers Association to call for a state-wide natural disaster declaration so relief funds can be accessed.
The rainy weather is not likely to significantly ease any time soon, with the BOM’s outlook for the summer in NSW predicting ongoing wet conditions.
More to come.
With AAP
Get all the latest Canberra news, sport, entertainment, lifestyle, competitions and more delivered straight to your inbox with the Canberra Daily Daily Newsletter. Sign up here.
