More Than a Month's Worth of Rain Was Dumped on Western Sydney Last Night
Almost 70mm was dumped in just one hour — and there's more on the horizon.
Oscar Wilde once said, "Conversation about the weather is the last refuge of the unimaginative." Well, maybe, if Wilde had been in Western Sydney last night when an epic downpour delivered more than a month's worth of rain in just one hour, he might feel differently. The rain is all we can talk about, understandably — it was one helluva storm.
According to the Bureau of Meteorology, Penrith was hit with 69.6mm of rain in just 60 minutes — blowing the October rainfall average of 51mm out of, well, the water.
The severe downpour sparked flash flooding across the area. According to the ABC, the NSW State Emergency Service (SES) received 63 calls for help in 24 hours across Western Sydney — one person even needed to be rescued from a car that was stuck in floodwaters on Castlereagh Street. Certainly doesn't sound like unimaginative hogwash to us, Wilde.
And, it looks as though the weather will keep tongues wagging a little while longer, with thunderstorms predicted for the rest of the week. Andrew Haigh from the BoM told the ABC, rain was likely to continue in the east of the state and said people should watch for severe thunderstorm warnings.
Around 20mm is expected to hit this Sunday, October 21 — we suggest braving the rain and heading to one of Sydney's fireplace-equipped pubs, there's nothing quite like sipping a dark 'n' stormy while it's quite literally dark and stormy.
Unfortunately, we'll need more than a few downpours to help the 100 percent of the state that's currently in drought. So, don't complain — grab your poncho and welcome the rains.
