More than 30 schools will be closed and “lots of flash flooding” is expected as parts of NSW continue to be hit by severe weather.
Late tonight, the NSW SES issued a stay indoors alert due to heavy and intense rain and damaging winds for Port Macquarie, Taree, Kempsey, Gloucester, Forster, Seal Rocks, Barrington Tops, Wingham and Yarrowitch.
There were eight watch and act flood warnings across the Hunter, Mid North Coast and Coffs Coast regions.
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Roads have already been flooded and dozens of flights cancelled at Newcastle Airport on Monday as wet weather settled in across large parts of the state’s north.
The NSW Department of Education said 31 state schools and four independent schools would be temporarily closed due to flooding across the Mid North Coast, Central Coast and Hunter regions. (Full list below.)
Students would be provided learning from home resources, deputy secretary of public schools Deb Summerhayes said.
“Please do not send your child to school if it is closed,” she said.
“The decision to temporarily close schools is not one that is made lightly. It is always done with the safety and wellbeing of our students and staff in mind.”
NSW SES Chief Superintendent Andrew Cribb said in the 24 hours to Monday there had been “huge amounts of rainfall, records for a May day in some areas”.
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He said flash flooding was expected over the following 48 hours.
“We are expecting lots of isolations, lots of flash flooding, and the potential for evacuations in some areas,” Cribb said.
Flights in and out of Newcastle Airport were interrupted by the wild weather on Monday and video from Beresfield showed traffic at a standstill from flooded roads.
In Lake Macquarie, water was rising around homes in Dora Creek and more than 120 millimetres of rain was recorded at Port Macquarie.
The severe weather alert stretched from Wyong to Nambucca Heads, with gusts of 95km/h on Monday morning recorded at Newcastle.
Sydney was also being warned to expect wet weather.
NSW public schools closed
Barrington Public School
Beechwood Public School
Bobin Public School
Booral Public School
Bulahdelah Central School
Clarence Town Public School
Dungog High School
Dungog Public School
Elands Public School
Glen William Public School
Gloucester High School
Gloucester Public School
Gresford Public School
Hinton Public School
Iona Public School
Kendall Public School
Kirkton Public School
Martins Creek Public School
Millers Forest Public School
Mitchells Island Public School
Mount Kanwary Public School
Mount Pleasant Public School
Paterson Public School
Rollands Plains Upper Public School
Seaham Public School
Stratford Public School
Tinonee Public School
Vacy Public School
Wingham Brush Public School
Wingham High School
Wingham Public School
Independent schools updates
St Philip’s Christian College DALE Young Parents – Wyong
Aspect Hunter School
St Philip’s Christian College Dynamic Learning
St Philip’s Christian College – Port Stephens
