Emergency service teams are on high alert as heavy rain impacts large areas of New South Wales, some of which are still recovering from recent flooding. On Thursday, the New South Wales State Emergency Service (SES) rescued a man from a van trapped in floodwaters near Douglas Park, located southwest of Sydney. The driver, the sole occupant of the vehicle, was safely extracted from the van on Moreton Park Road around 6 a.m.

The heaviest rainfall recorded in the 24 hours leading up to 9 a.m. was on the Mid North Coast, where several locations received over 100 millimeters of rain. Port Macquarie Airport reported 141 mm, Lake Cathie received 146 mm, Green Valley had 132 mm, and Telegraph Point recorded 104 mm.

Christie Johnson, a forecaster with the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), indicated that more rain is expected. "This weather system is actually the result of three weather systems combining," she explained. Johnson noted that a high-pressure system in the southern Tasman Sea is directing moist north-easterly winds onto the coast over warm waters. Additionally, a coastal trough is providing some uplift, while an upper-level low-pressure system has been lingering over inland New South Wales.

"That upper-level system is actually going to make its way eastward towards the coast today, so that is just going to give some more uplift and oomph to the systems that are already bringing all this rain," she added. Johnson also mentioned the possibility of thunderstorms producing short, intense bursts of rain. "But we're more worried about riverine flooding than the flash-flooding risk in some places," she said. "It's just been accumulating and accumulating across yesterday and going to continue today."

Currently, all rivers through the Mid North Coast are under a flood watch due to the saturated catchments, which are expected to respond quickly to the rainfall. SES Mid North Coast Deputy Zone Commander Tony Day urged residents to draw on their experiences from recent floods. "It's important for people to know their risk," he stated. "We've been through this with a great degree of regularity over the past few months, so people know if they're traveling in those low-lying areas to be very cautious."

Day emphasized that heavy rainfall will create a dynamic situation, urging residents to consider their risks and make informed decisions. In the northern part of the state, a major flood warning has been issued for the Namoi River, with significant flooding anticipated around Gunnedah on Friday afternoon. The Gunnedah Resource Centre recorded over 27 mm of rain in the 24 hours leading up to 9 a.m. Thursday.

A moderate flood warning is also in effect for the Peel River, with moderate flooding expected at Tamworth, which received 48 mm of rain overnight into Friday morning. SES Acting North Western Zone Commander Stuart Fisher noted that emergency crews and the community are preparing for the potential flooding. "Given that the community has dealt with this 10 days ago, there is some fatigue," he said. "The catchments are very wet, and unfortunately, the Bureau [of Meteorology] has indicated above-average rainfall going through to Christmas. So I would think that this won't be our last rodeo."