NSW on alert: these maps show the areas at risk of flooding and storms
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Two people are dead, at least three people are missing and tens of thousands are isolated after record-breaking floods continue to wreak havoc on the New South Wales coast.
The Bureau of Meteorology warned that heavy to locally intense rain would continue on the NSW Mid North Coast on Thursday, and that heavy rain would develop around the southern Hunter region, the Blue Mountains and the Southern Highlands on Thursday night.
The below maps show the extent of current and predicted NSW floods. Red indicates immediate danger, blue is current flooding, and yellow is predicted flooding. The striped red area shows where residents should be prepared for storms.
Live webcam footage also depicts the wet, wild conditions along the NSW coast.
As The Conversation has reported, the wet weather in NSW is due to a combination of factors.
A trough is sitting over the Mid North Coast, bringing rain and unstable conditions. Winds from the east are also bringing moisture to the coast. And since Sunday, all this has been compounded by a “cut-off low” in the upper atmosphere. The combination of the trough, and low pressure at higher levels, can cause air to converge and rise. As air rises it cools, moisture condenses and rain occurs.
The NSW State Emergency Service advises that people:
For emergency help in floods and storms, ring your local SES Unit on 132 500.
