Record of The Highest Rainfall Since 1858, Sydney Authorities Prepare For Floods

Illustration of rain in Sydney, Australia. (Wikimedia Commons/PhotoSleuth)

JAKARTA - Sydney recorded its wettest year in 164 years, as authorities braced for massive flooding in eastern Australia, with heavy rains expected over the next three days.

With almost three months to go for 2022, Australia's largest city has recorded 2.200mm of rain a year, for the first time since records began in 1858.

As of Thursday afternoon, Sydney had received about 2.213 mm (87 inches) of rainfall for the year, surpassing the previous record of 2.194 mm set in 1950, official data showed.

More than 58 mm down over the five hours since 9 a.m. local time, live Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) data showed.

More rain is expected for the remainder of 2022, as Australia's east coast remains in the grip of the rare La Nina weather phenomenon for the third year in a row.

"Towards the end of spring and summer, we're still in an active La Nina period so we can expect more and more rainfall and that increases the risk of flooding," BoM forecaster Jonathan How told ABC television.

Over the past two years, flooding has hit suburban Sydney three times, forcing tens of thousands of people to flee their homes.

With a wild weather system expected to send heavy rains over the weekend across much of eastern Australia, authorities are warning Sydney residents to be on the lookout for flash flooding and stay away from flooded roads.

Many dams and rivers are already at full capacity. The State Government of New South Wales has committed to raising the wall height at Sydney's Warragamba Dam, which supplies 80 percent of the city's water, to help prevent future flooding.

Meanwhile, some of the state's rural outback towns have been inundated, with television footage showing damaged roads and residents moving livestock to higher ground.

New South Wales emergency crews said there were 47 flood warnings across the state, with moderate flooding expected in parts of Sydney on Saturday.

The situation will only become more dangerous over the next few weeks, according to emergency services spokesman Scott McLennan.

"Are we in the worst condition? We don't know, but we know that there will be more water coming," McLennan told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.