Sydney floods: Westfield ceiling collapses amid terrifying scenes across city

Severe weather has continued across Sydney on Tuesday which has seen parts of the city hit by extreme rainfall and flooding, disrupting roads and buildings.

Footage taken at Westfield Bondi in Sydney's east shows the roof collapsing under the pressure of the extreme weather conditions, narrowly missing shoppers who were standing nearby.

Photos and videos shared online on Tuesday show a huge slab of ceiling landing on an escalator at the busy Sydney shopping centre which was followed by a "gushing torrent of water," Nine News reported.

Sydney roads were hit by flash flooding with video footage showing the the M5 tunnel inundated with water as cars slowly make their way to safety.

Meanwhile, Emu Heights in Sydney's west suffered devastating landslides following intense rainfall in the area, with more expected to follow in the coming hours.

An incredible image shared by Nine News shows how the ground beneath a driveway collapsed reducing it to rubble, almost taking out the home with it.

Incredible scenes from north Sydney

Sydney's Northern Beaches copped the biggest downfall on Tuesday afternoon and flooding was widespread in the region. have copped a drenching in Tuesday with much of the area flooded.

Terrey Hills weather station recorded 100mm of rain from 9am to 6pm.

Roseville Bridge in Sydney's north and Pittwater Road at Narrabeen are badly flooded with drivers told to "exercise caution" as they navigate through the rising floodwaters.

Traffic appears banked up on Roseville Bridge in an incredible photo shared online which shows several cars partially submerged as water pours over the sides. Extensive delays are being experienced on Warringah Road as Northern Beaches motorists try to head home on Tuesday night.

In a video shared on Twitter, Pittwater Rd in Dee Why resembles "a river" according to locals who witnessed the road and footpaths disappear under gushing floodwaters.

On Tuesday, residents around the Manly Dam area were ordered to evacuate as the dam spilled over into adjacent areas. More than 2000 people were affected. Later people around Narrabeen Lagoon were also told to evacuate.

The heavy rainfall has caused some damage to homes around the city with the Warringah/Pittwater SES warning about collapsing roofs.

A photo shared on Facebook via the Manly Observer shows a significant dip in the ceiling of someone's home caused by a section of the roof collecting a substantial amount of water.

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued an updated severe thunderstorm warning as intense rainfall and "very dangerous thunderstorms" is expected to hit Hornsby, Mona Vale and Bondi Beach, and flash flooding is likely.

Residents are urged to move cars under cover, find shelter and stay clear of storm drains and cause ways.

Thousands flee as Sydney floods, others warned not to travel

Thousands of people across Sydney, the NSW South Coast and Mid North Coast were told to evacuate as heavy rain flooded communities.

The bodies of a man and woman were found in a stormwater canal at Wentworthville in western Sydney, bringing the death toll from the NSW flood crisis to eight.

At 9am this morning, the suburb of Bankstown received 126mm of rain in 24 hours, Holsworthy saw 125.6mm, Nowra had 138.8mm, Jervis Bay 142.6mm, Ulladulla 212.6mm, Wollongong more than 100mm, Singleton 83mm while the Sydney Observatory recorded 93.8mm.

The SES issued multiple evacuation warnings on Monday night across the Metropolitan region and on Tuesday residents of Sussex Inlet on the South Coast and Kempsey on the Mid North Coast were ordered to evacuate.

On Tuesday evening evacuation orders followed for McGrath's Hill and Mulgrave in Sydney's west.

Footage taken from Milperra, west from Sydney's CBD, on Monday night shows the road completely inundated with floodwaters.

In one video, shared on the Facebook page Police in the Area, a taxi is seen half-submerged in the water while another car is seen floating down the road. The person who shot the footage was said to be sitting in their car at Bunnings.

Another video shared to the page shows cars pulling onto the curb due to the excessive flooding in Bankstown.

On Elizabeth Drive in Liverpool a bin was seen floating down the street.

You can keep up to date with the full list of SES evacuation orders here.

People on social media were sharing pictures of the flooding in Sydney's inner west. Cars parked on the road in the suburb of Petersham were partially submerged in the water.

A picture taken on the intersection of Marrickville Road and Victoria Road showed a car driving through a drenched street.

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"The water has nowhere left to go," one resident remarked on Twitter.

The SES received more than 2400 calls for help in the past 24 hours and undertook around 100 flood rescues, mostly in Sydney, AAP reported.

Delays and cancellations expected on trains

On Twitter, Trains Info, run by Transport for NSW, pleaded with people to stay home unless it was absolutely necessary.

"Avoid any non-essential travel and if you do need to use the network please plan ahead and leave plenty of extra travel time," the tweet said.

"Impacts will continue through the rest of this week as we undertake detailed inspections to ensure rail network remains safe for trains and customers."

People should expect significant delays and cancellations on Sydney Trains, NSW TrainLink Intercity and Regional trains services

"Disruptions due to severe weather can have a flow-on effect across the whole network," TrainsInfo said.

When will the rain stop?

The rain is set to finally ease on Wednesday with only about 8mm forecast for Sydney

And the sun is likely to reappear on Thursday after 16 consecutive days of rain.

The Bureau's Jackson Browne said the low which is causing the rain should drop to the southeast and will be replaced with a "very vigorous" southerly flow.

The southerly flow will bring hazardous surf and gale warnings along areas of the state's coast.

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