Source: Bureau of Meteorology

for HEAVY, LOCALLY INTENSE RAINFALL
For people in Central Tablelands and parts of Hunter, Illawarra, Southern Tablelands, North West Slopes and Plains, Central West Slopes and Plains and South West Slopes Forecast Districts.

Issued at 1:36 pm Sunday, 18 February 2024.
HEAVY TO LOCALLY INTENSE RAINFALL OCCURRING ACROSS CENTRAL EASTERN NEW SOUTH WALES.

Weather Situation: Slow moving severe thunderstorms are developing in a humid and unstable airmass along the Great Dividing Ranges this afternoon.

VERY DANGEROUS THUNDERSTORMS are likely to produce heavy, locally intense rainfall that may lead to dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding over the next several hours in parts of the Central Tablelands, Illawarra, Southern Tablelands and Central West Slopes and Plains districts. Locations which may be affected include Orange, Bathurst, Katoomba, Blayney, Trunkey Creek and Taralga.

Elsewhere in the warning area, severe thunderstorms are likely to produce heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding over the next several hours in the Central Tablelands and parts of the Hunter, Illawarra, Southern Tablelands, North West Slopes and Plains, Central West Slopes and Plains and South West Slopes districts. Locations which may be affected include Orange, Mudgee, Bathurst, Katoomba, Goulburn and Wellington.
44 mm recorded at Orange Airport in the 1 hour to minutes to 1:20 pm.
The State Emergency Service advises that people should:
* Keep clear of creeks and storm drains.
* Don't walk, ride your bike or drive through flood water.
* If you are trapped by flash flooding, seek refuge in the highest available place and ring 000 if you need rescue.
* Be aware that run-off from rainfall in fire affected areas may behave differently and be more rapid. It may also contain debris such as ash, soil, trees and rocks.
* After bushfires, heavy rain and the loss of foliage can make the ground soft and heavy, leading to a greater chance of landslides.
* Unplug computers and appliances.
* Avoid using the phone during the storm.
* Stay indoors away from windows, and keep children and pets indoors as well.
* Stay vigilant and monitor conditions. Note that the landscape may have changed following bushfires.
* For emergency help in floods and storms, ring the SES (NSW and ACT) on 132 500.