Storm warning for south-east Queensland as Sydney recovers from barrage of rain

Multiple people had to be rescued from floodwaters in Sydney on Tuesday after heavy rain smashed the city.

The Harbour city copped nearly 36mm of rain in just an hour, with the SES receiving hundreds of calls for help, as the city continues to face cool and cloudy weather just days after going through a hot and dry spell.

It comes as a low-pressure system sweeps through the east coast of Australia, with Queensland’s Sunshine Coast told to expect storms as the state’s south-east is hit by rain.

Flood rescues after Sydney smashed by late showers

Sydney was on the receiving end of heavy rainfall late on Tuesday night and early on Wednesday morning, which led to three people having to be rescued from floodwaters.

The downpour began about 7pm, with 35.8mm falling between 7pm and 8pm alone, and 78mm falling on the city in about eight hours, according to data from the Bureau of Meteorology.

The SES told nine.com.au it responded to more than 220 incidents in the last 24 hours across the Greater Sydney region.

In Mascot, one person became stuck in a car in rising floodwaters and had to be helped out of the car and to safety by NSW Police.

In Woollahra in the Eastern Suburbs, two people became stuck in a car surrounded by water, but responding SES members were able to get them out and walk them to safety.

No injuries were reported, and an SES spokesperson told nine.com.au the majority of callouts were “for fallen trees and damaged and leaking roofs.”

There is only the small chance of showers in Sydney today, as the southerly system that bought the heavy rain moves north, but though heavier falls are expected later this week

The maximum temperature in Sydney is expected to be 19 degrees, a big drop after seeing the mercury rise to 35 degrees on Monday.

Storm threat for Sunshine Coast

Parts of the Sunshine Coast may be hit by a thunderstorm later on Wednesday, as rain is forecast for large parts of south-east Queensland, including Brisbane.

While there are no weather warnings for the region, Maroochydore and Nambour could be impacted by a thunderstorm at about midday, and are in line to cop up to 8mm of rain today.

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Noosa Heads is also in the firing line, with 7mm of rain expected.

Storms are not expected to impact Brisbane and the Gold Coast, though rain is likely for much of Queensland’s south-east region.

Brisbane is forecast to receive 2mm of rain, with the Gold Coast receiving similar, as well as the chance of being hit by high winds.

On the Gold Coast Seaway, there could be gusts of up to 65km/h later this afternoon.