NSW: Sydney beaches closed as waves reach five metres

AAP General News (Australia)
04-01-2009
NSW: Sydney beaches closed as waves reach five metres

SYDNEY, April 1 AAP - Waves up to five metres high are hammering the coast of Sydney
and surrounding areas, while heavy rain has brought down trees and damaged homes.

Dangerous surf forced the closure of all Sydney beaches on Wednesday, except for Bondi,
with destructive waves expected to continue until Thursday.

More than 85mm of rain has fallen in the past 24 hours at Turramurra, in Sydney's north,
and more than 60mm in the city's western suburbs.

Up to 55m of rain fell in the Royal National Park just south of Sydney, and parts of
Cronulla received 46mm.

More rain is forecast for the Sydney region later on Wednesday and into Thursday.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) has issued a warning for severe weather and flash flooding
for parts of the Sydney basin.

A low pressure system off the mid-north coast of NSW is producing heavy rain as far
south as the Illawarra.

The State Emergency Service (SES) has responded to 80 calls for assistance in Sydney
since Tuesday afternoon, with up to 150 volunteers in action.

"Most are from the city's northern suburbs and most of those have been for leaky roofs
and branches down," SES spokesman Dave Webber told AAP.

The Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) has reported slow traffic around Sydney due to
flooding on roads in Collaroy and Artarmon in the north and Alexandria in the inner south.

AAP vpm/ldj

KEYWORD: RAIN SYDNEY

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