Bathurst holiday makers advised by SES to excise caution travelling east

While a minor flood watch was issued by the Central West NSW State Emergency Service [SES] on Saturday for the Wambuul-Macquarie River upstream from Bathurst, the service's biggest concern is motorists looking to contend with the wild weather expected for much of the NSW east coast over the next couple of days.

"The concern we've got for Bathurst residents at the moment are for those people who may decide to travel down to Sydney," SES Western Zone community capability officer David Rankine said.

"There's torrential rain through the Blue Mountains, the North Richmond Bridge has closed and the road conditions aren't really conducive to driving."

Mr Rankine said the message to motorists is clear: stay safe on the roads, avoid driving in adverse conditions unless it's absolutely necessary and plan for potential road closures.

"We've got severe flooding risks from Port Stephens to Ulladulla and out to the Lithgow and Oberon areas. There's quite a large part of the coast significantly affected by flood waters, and particularly the areas around the Hawkesbury and Nepean rivers," he said.

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"NSW SES Commissioner Carlene York declares this morning that NSW residents in affected areas should avoid travel unless 100 per cent necessary."

By comparison, Mr Rankine said the immediate flooding risk to Bathurst isn't as high, but could change if a larger downpour occurs Sunday afternoon.

"If we do get intense bursts of rain today or tomorrow, there could be the risk of flash flooding across causeways. Eleven Mile Drive could be an issue again," he said.

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"Furthermore, the roads are still in pretty ordinary condition from the rain we saw in February and March, so it's important to drive to the conditions to avoid incident."

In the three hours to midday Sunday, Bathurst Airport had recorded 9.2 millimetres of rainfall, with a further 7.2 millimetres falling in the 24 hours to 9am Sunday.

With a rare third year La Nina possible, Mr Rankine said Bathurst SES crews are bracing for more flooding events for the remainder of the year and into 2023.

"The Bureau of Meteorology [BOM] is saying a third straight La Nina year is 50-50, but the proof's in the pudding with this weekend's weather that we, as an organisation, are planning for worst case scenarios," he said.

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"Oddly enough, Bathurst was starting to dry out a little over the past few weeks, but this latest weather will top up Chifley Dam, which will spill into the Wambuul-Macquarie River eventually, so it's important for residents to have a heightened sense of awareness when travelling on the roads."

The BOM has forecast a further eight to 10 millimetres to fall in Bathurst across Monday.

To stay up to date with SES alerts, visit the NSW SES Bathurst Unit Facebook page.

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