Man dies as Toyota Land Cruiser swept away in NSW floodwaters
A man has died after his car was swept away in floodwaters on NSW's Central Coast overnight.
Emergency services rushed to Oak Road in Matcham in the early hours of Friday morning after receiving reports a vehicle had gone missing in floodwaters, NSW Police said.
Officers found a Toyota Land Cruiser in the water near Maddens Creek crossing at about 1.30am.
The body of a 54-year-old local man was found inside.
A crime scene has been established and an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident is underway.
A report will now be prepared for the information of the coroner, police said.
Third east coast flood fatality
The man is the third person to die in floodwaters this week as the country's east coast continues to get lashed with rain.
Footage emerged on Friday of a submerged Commodore being washed off Caboolture Bridge, north of Brisbane.
On Thursday, the body of a 54-year-old motorcyclist was found after he was washed away in floodwaters near Gympie, Queensland, early Wednesday morning.
A submerged car has been washed off a Caboolture bridge - just a few inches of swift-moving water picking the Commodore up after it became stuck early this morning @7NewsBrisbane @sunriseon7 pic.twitter.com/gryBO62R6K
— Jordan Bissell (@jordan_bissell7) February 24, 2022
Queensland Police confirmed local man Philip Gary Lambert came off his motorcycle after attempting to ride over Green Creek at approximately 1.30am.
Also on Wednesday, the body of a 63-year-old woman was found in her car, which was submerged in floodwaters west of Eumundi, on the Sunshine Coast.
'Life-threatening' weather continues to pummel east coast: 'Significant risk'
Motorcyclist found dead after being washed away in Queensland floodwaters
Wild weather turns deadly: Woman's body found in Queensland floodwaters
NSW coast smashed with 100mm of rain
The Mid-North Coast and Central Coast have been smashed with more than 100mm of rain in 24 hours.
Between 9am Thursday and 7am Friday, Bateau Bay recorded 116mm, Erina Heights 136mm, Mount Elliott 115mm, and Wamberal Reservoir 140mm and Gosford 136mm.
Further north, Bellingen recorded 173mm, Bowraville 112mm, Dorrigo 103mm, and Glennifer 135mm.
It is expected that the flood level at Lismore (AHD) will reach 7.4m by this afternoon. The CBD bypass in now being encroached upon by floodwaters.#Lismore #NorthernNSW #flood #flooding #photojournalism #photography pic.twitter.com/VJq0M4raer
— Mark Kriedemann (@KriedemannMark) February 24, 2022
Torrential rain is expected to continue on the north coast of NSW on Friday as Sydney rounds out what is likely to be its wettest summer in three decades.
An offshore surface trough near the Queensland-NSW border is expected to bring further downpours to southeast Qld and northern NSW on Friday.
Bureau of Meteorology meteorologist Dean Narramore says isolated rainfall totals in some areas stretching from Byron Bay in NSW up to Fraser Island (also know as K'Gari Island) in Qld could exceed 300 millimetres in the coming days.
"This is a dangerous set-up as very heavy rainfall falls over already saturated soils," Mr Narramore said.
The SES has issued an evacuation warning for low lying areas along the Nambucca River and door knocked homes overnight.
Some 630 callouts were received by the SES in the 24 hours up to 6am Thursday, with 27 flood rescues, predominantly from vehicles.
Many of the calls for help were for sandbagging to protect against flooding and for damaged roofs.
The Northern Rivers, Mid North Coast and Central Coast are the areas of concern for the SES on Friday.
Sydney is having its wettest summer in 30 years.
With AAP
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