South-west Sydney prepares for flooding as region receives four times usual July rainfall in one day

South-west Sydney is being warned to prepare for flooding similar to, or worse than, record floods earlier this year after the region received more than four times its usual July rainfall in a day. 

The State Emergency Service (SES) has issued evacuation orders for parts of Camden, Chipping Norton, Georges Hall, Moorebank, Warwick Farm, Woronora, Bents Basin and Wallacia.

Rain is set to continue into Monday.

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a moderate to major flood warning for the Nepean, Hawkesbury and Colo Rivers, and moderate flooding is occurring along the Georges River at Liverpool and Milperra. 

Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Jonathan How said heavy rainfall was soaking an already sodden part of New South Wales.

“We're already seeing major flooding at Menangle, the river is at 16.5 metres so it's just shy of the April 2022 event of 16.8 metres,” he said.

“Certainly approaching, possibly even exceeding, that rain we saw just a couple of months ago.”

SES spokesman Adam Jones said Sydneysiders should avoid the roads with weather expected to “get worse before it gets better”.

“If you’re in those areas where the evacuation orders are out, we're asking the community to act as soon as they can,” he said. 

“It's because you're going to be isolated and you won't be able to get out, so we need people making sensible, smart decisions early.”

Evacuation centres have been opened by local councils, but residents being told to evacuate are being urged to go to family or friends on higher ground.

More to come.