Commuters have suffered chaos this morning after Sydney was hit by the strongest torrential rain since 1990. (Photo by the Daily Mail)
Commuters heading to work this morning after Sydney`s worst storm in 30 years are facing flooded roads, chaotic public transport systems and the closure of several schools, the Daily Mail reported.
Record-breaking rainfall over the weekend brought up to 400 millimetres of rain to parts of the new state. Dozens of roads were closed, affected by flooding, trees and the dumping of utility poles.
And Greater Sydney received just 117 millimetres of normal rainfall in February.
Bad weather has wreaked havoc on Sydney`s public transport system and road network. Commuters are told to view the timetable for travel applications before departure. The State Emergency Services, or SES, urges workers to stay at home.
Paul Bailey, assistant director of SES, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on Monday morning:" How dangerous it is to run a running water. There will be some places where there will be water, especially for people driving and driving to work in the Sydney area. There is still a lot of water on the roadside lane. Therefore, we require people to be very careful when driving to work. Perhaps it would be a good choice if you could work from home on such a day. "
Prior to the SES warning, police responded when they were told a vehicle had been washed out of the pavement and feared to have a person in it in the Hornsby district.
Serious delay at train
A large number of train passengers suffered severe delays monday morning. (Photo by the Daily Mail)
Meanwhile, landslides have caused serious delays in early-peak Sydney trains and disrupted rail networks.
Thousands of passengers were stranded on the train as the rain left the lower north shore of the Artarmon track badly corroded. Shortly after 6:00 this morning, Gordon and North Sydney were replaced by a bus to train. Although the train was restored after 7:30, it was rather slow.
At the Hornsby Junction line, the chaos worsened when passengers waiting to transfer to the T9 northbound train were held up for more than an hour and a half while they were not heading for the city`s train.
At 7:40 a.m. this morning, a train from Strathfield in the direction of the city was delayed repeatedly, and the driver told the passengers on the speaker that he did not know where the train was headed either.
Passengers were then told that train would instead head north to Berowra, not downtown. It took another 25 minutes before the train finally arrived.
The platform is overcrowded. (Photo by the Daily Mail)
Ferry City Rail Cancellation
Emergency services urge drivers to avoid travel as much as possible. At the same time, emergency services are doing their utmost to clear roads covered by moraine.
Passengers travelling between Manly and the Ring Wharf were told to change to a bus, as the ferry service was cancelled due to the big wave, according to advice from Sydney Ferries Sydney.
Passengers from Sydney Metro`s Macquarie Park to the Chatswood section also had to take alternative buses instead.
Multiple power cuts School closed
The Sydney region has experienced its most wet weekend in about 20 years, with torrential storms sparking torrential floods. (Photo by the Daily Mail)
The weekend`s rainfall was the highest in about 20 years after Sydney Basin was hit by East Coast Low on the East Coast. Sydney suffered 414.2 millimetres of rain in four days.
Energy companies are urgently restoring power to flooded areas. More than 110,000 Ausgrid customers were in the midst of a blackout on Monday morning, mainly in the Central Coast area of Sydney`s north and new state. A total of 19,000 customers at Endeavour Energy were without power.
The new state emergency service has responded to about 10,000 calls and has carried out several rescues for people trapped in rising rivers and torrents.
Affected by the flooding, more than 50 schools in and around Sydney closed, ranging from Far West Penrith to Central Coast Wyong, North Beaches`Narrabeen.
In the early hours of Monday morning, floodwaters hit Liverpool and Millera in Sydney`s west, amid concerns that the Georges River in Millpelah could be higher than it was in 1988, emergency services said.
Residents near the Narrabeen Lagoon in Sydney`s north were also evacuated by the village of Dunes. Local flooding is likely to be more severe than in 2016.
The Bureau of Meteorology predicts worse weather conditions on Monday. The entire coast of the new state is likely to see heavy rains, strong winds and damaging storms.
The Met Office also warned earlier that heavy rain could trigger life-threatening torrents in Sydney, Illawarra and Central Tablelands.
