The Bureau of Meteorology warns, "Heavy rainfall, which may lead to flash flooding, is forecast to develop over parts of the Hunter and Metropolitan, Illawarra, South Coast and parts of Central Tablelands and Southern Tablelands during Wednesday and Thursday. Six-hourly rainfall totals between 80 and 120 mm are likely. Locally intense rainfall leading to dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding is possible with thunderstorms, six-hourly rainfall totals in excess of 200 mm are possible. Damaging wind gusts with peak gusts in excess of 90 km/h may develop over parts of the coastal fringe in the warning area and are also possible with showers or thunderstorms." (If you want to receive further updates, click here)
Somewhere in that yellow warning area is little Nelligen and little me who's just pulled all boats and other bits and pieces to higher grounds, although I don't expect the river to flood, but never say never, right?
The next high tide is at 10.26 p.m. I shall be out there, clad in my wet-weather gear and gumboots to my knees, shining a torch on the water.
P.S. It's 11 o'clock at night and I've just come off "floodwatch". The rain has stopped - for the moment! - and there's still plenty of daylight - well, moonlight - between the top of the jetty and the top of the river. Just as well I stayed up this late as an old mate from my New Guinea-days called me from Perth and we had a good old talk on WhatsApp.
