‘Prepare to evacuate’: Warning after woman dies as NSW is lashed by ‘very dangerous’ thunderstorms

Wild images have emerged from Sydney’s Northern Beaches battling flash flooding and dangerous beach conditions after severe storms hit NSW.

Vision posted by the Manly Observer captures a bus driving through flood waters in Warriewood last night, while other images show vehicles submerged after torrents of rain lashed the east coast.

More than 260mm of rain fell in 24 hours at Great Mackerel Beach, according to Bureau of Meterology data, while several places in the Northern Beaches topped 120mm of rainfall.

Communities faced emergency evacuations overnight as “very dangerous” thunderstorms battered NSW, the SES called to more than 1400 incidents across the state including a landslide near the Barrenjoey Headland.

The SES has responded to more than 2300 incidents and performed 25 flood rescues over the weekend.

It was an “exceptionally busy” night for the SES, acting Assistant Commissioner Sonya Oyston said, with 20 flood rescues also taking place.

At Narrabeen Lagoon and the BIG4 Sydney Lakeside Holiday Park, in the Northern Beaches of Sydney, floodwaters rapidly rose overnight prompting the SES to issue an emergency warning to evacuate the area.

More than 60 people were evacuated. The evacuation warning was downgraded just before 9am, with residents being told they could return with caution.

SES spokesperson Andrew Edmunds said the water had peaked and was slowly receding.

“The good news is it’s no longer rising,” Mr Edmunds said.

The conditions escalated quickly with rapidly rising floodwaters impacting properties and creating “life threatening flash flooding,” according to a statement by authorities.

An evacuation centre was established at Mona Vale Memorial Hall.

A house on a hill near Great Mackerel Beach was almost destroyed by a landslide after heavy rain caused the earth above it to give way.

The debris, a mound of mud, soil and trees, stopped just short of collecting the house. A woman was treated by paramedics.

Parts of The Central Coast including Yarramalong and Dooralong southwest of Morisset are now cut off by floodwater.

“Water levels peaked last night at around 6.5 metres, however it is something we need to continue to monitor quite closely as any additional rainfall could see that situation escalate,” Mr Edmunds said.

“It is taking some time to drain away so it could still be isolated for 24 to 36 hours.”

About 2400 Ausgrid customers are still without power, with hardest hit areas across The Central Coast.

Ausgrid emergency crews have restored power to more than 7000 customers since 6pm Saturday night and continued working throughout Sunday to restore power when safe to do so.

An early morning storm, moving westward from the coastline, swept over the city’s south and west at around 5.30am, with southwest Sydney and the Blue Mountains being hit hard.

About 68mm of rain was recorded at Liverpool in the Georges River from midnight to 5.15am, with Peakhurst copping a drenching of 44mm of rain in just one hour between 3.30 and 4.30am.

Woman struck and killed by falling tree

A woman was killed on the Illawarra Highway at Macquarie Pass about 4pm on Saturday when a large falling tree branch struck through the car windscreen.

The 48 year-old driver died at the scene, police said.

A male, 47, sitting in the front seat passenger suffered minor injuries, while two children seated in the rear were unharmed.

It is understood Macquarie Pass was closed for hours as emergency crews remained on scene.

A house in Mona Vale on Sydney’s North Shore narrowly avoided being crushed by a tree, which landed instead on the driveway of the home.

The wild weather prompted the closure of more than 20 beaches across the state, with some communities now being warned to be ready to evacuate.

People have been urged to keep clear of creeks and storm drains, not to walk or drive through flood waters, and to stay indoors away from windows.

20+ beaches shut amid wild weather

Dee Why, Manly, Mona Vale, Narrabeen, Bronte, Clovelly, and Tamarama were among more than 20 beaches closed as the state was struck by wild weather.

Cronulla Beach vanished under heavy swells that submerged the shoreline all the way to the foreshore on Saturday.

Images show waves crashing over the rock pool and hitting the foreshore wall as authorities close the beach in dangerous conditions.

Road closures and transport chaos also hit Sydney.

Trains are now running between Hornsby and Gosford after earlier bus replacements due to floods.

Buses briefly replaced light rail services on the L3 Line between Moore Park and Kingsford due to flooding at ES Marks in the Eastern Suburbs, but the line has now reopened after floodwaters subsided.

Several roads remain closed across Sydney, including Wakehurst Parkway between North Narrabeen and Oxford Falls and Oxford Falls Rd between Wakehurst Parkway and Aroona Rd.

The SES has urged drivers and holiday-makers to be cautious. “Unfortunately over the last 24 hours we have received requests for 20 flood rescues with most of these relating to people driving through waters,” Ms Oyston said.

“We are aware there are a lot of people holidaying in areas they’re not really aware of, so particularly for those people if you don’t know the roads, please try to avoid any travel.

Keep safe, keep inside if you can, it’s a great day for the indoor activities. If you do come across flooded water please do not enter floodwaters.”

The SES said the storm risk has now shifted north, and people in parts of the Hunter and Mid North Coast have been warned to prepare for heavy rainfall and severe thunderstorms.

Sydney should expect similar conditions over the next 24 hours and into early next week.

“As the storm is heading north, we’re hoping to see a little bit of relief for the Illawarra area,” Ms Oyston said.

Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Dean Narramore said warnings were focused on metropolitan Sydney, western Sydney and the Blue Mountains, where a band of “very heavy rainfall” continues.

“That’s where we have severe thunderstorm warnings for heavy rainfall for those regions where we are seeing … isolated falls up to 60 to 80 millimetres within an hour and that will cause flash flooding that will continue this morning, slowly easing to moderate rainfall this afternoon,” Mr Narramore said.

“Sydney itself has had 112 millimetres, but further north, falls of 200 to 250 millimetres around Pearl Beach, Mackerel Beach, in through there and up towards the Woy Woy area.”

The wet weather has hit large parts of coastal NSW, continuing from yesterday’s wet and windy day.

Storms stretched across Sydney and the surrounding areas yesterday, with The Central Coast and Wollongong being lashed with hundreds of millimetres of rain in the last 48 hours.