15" Of Rain In 24 Hours As Lismore/Byron Bay NSW Engulfed By Flooding For Second Time In Four Weeks
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Rainfall totals in excess of 400mm in 24 hours caused widespread flooding in the northern rivers region, with 16 evacuation orders current at 5pm Wednesday for areas including Lismore, Kyogle, Bellingen, Broadwater and Coraki. The evacuation orders affect 28,000 people across the northern rivers and mid-north coast while the SES has conducted 55 rescues in the last 24 hours.
Major flood warnings are in place for the Wilsons, Richmond, Clarence and Orara and Bellingen rivers, with towns such as Grafton expected to face major flooding on Thursday. A severe weather warning is current for heavy rainfall and damaging winds from Grafton all the way to Forster, more than three hours away.
In Lismore, the Wilsons River passed 11.37 metres and was still rising, with NSW authorities expecting it to reach a peak of 12 metres overnight. While it is substantially below the 14.4 metres seen in February, it will still be one of the highest peaks on record, NSW emergency services minister Steph Cooke said. “To put this in perspective, the prior record for the Wilsons River was 12.17 metres,” Cooke told reporters on Wednesday afternoon. “If not for that peak just a month ago, this in and of itself would be a record flood for the city of Lismore and that area.”
Earlier, the city’s CBD was evacuated twice in 24 hours, leading to criticism after authorities cancelled an existing evacuation order on Tuesday afternoon, only to reverse the decision at 3am on Wednesday. In central Byron Bay, businesses were inundated after about 300mm of rain fell in 24 hours.
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https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/mar/30/lismore-residents-ordered-to-evacuate-homes-again-as-flood-waters-threaten-town