Flood threat moves north as Sydney water levels start to drop

Flooding in and around Sydney is receding as heavy rain threatens to inundate towns north of Australia’s largest city.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said 60,000 people had been issued with evacuation orders and official warnings to abandon their homes as of Thursday, down from 85,000 on Wednesday.

But Mr Perrot said towns including Maitland and Singleton in Sydney’s northern Hunter Valley were still at risk of flooding.

He said about 50 rescues had been made in the past 24 hours, with some people trapped in cars in the floodwaters.

Emergency Services Minister Steph Cooke said the record rainfall that began around Sydney on Friday was easing.

“After almost a week of relentless rain, it’s great to see the weather start to improve,” she said.

Bureau of Meteorology manager Diana Eadie said the weather system that brought heavy rain to large parts of NSW was moving further north of Sydney from the coast.

The town of Bulga, about 110 miles north of Sydney, has experienced its highest flood levels since 1952, she said.

Ms Eddie added that the tower, about 200 miles north of Sydney, was soaked by 12 inches of rain overnight – almost a third of the town’s annual average.