Wild weather in northern NSW and Queensland is expected to see the worst coastal erosion in years

Extreme weather lashing Australia’s northern NSW coast and southeast Queensland will continue to intensify with the dangerous rainfall and strong winds to continue unabated. Sites in Northern NSW had about 400mm of rain in just a few days, the Bureau of Meteorology’s Jane Golding told reporters. 

Some locations near the Queensland-NSW border were inundated with 180mm of rain on Sunday. And there was no relief as conditions deteriorated throughout Monday.

Other beaches along the NSW northern coast are being eroded after huge tides, gale force winds and heavy rain washed away much of the Main Beach at the popular tourist town of Byron Bay.

“We’re seeing the largest coastal erosion we’ve seen in many years, particularly around the Byron Bay area, which is completely changing the entire landscape of the beaches,” Surf Life Saving NSW CEO Steve Pearce said.

Powerful waves are expected to continue to batter the NSW mid-north coast, almost as far south as Newcastle. The NSW State Emergency Service has received more than 900 requests for help, with 160 logged between 6pm on Monday and 1pm on Tuesday.

Four people have been rescued, including a woman who was swept away when she tried to leave her car after getting caught in floodwaters.

The intense weather could create permanent rips along beaches that were previously safe, Surf Life Saving NSW says. The coastal erosion is also making it difficult for surf lifesaving craft to launch into the water.

In Queensland, Sunshine and Gold Coast beaches are closed and there is a severe weather warning for heavy rain, damaging winds, abnormally high tides, and hazardous surf in Queensland’s southeast.

BOM senior meteorologist Laura Boekel said severe thunderstorm activity was likely to increase from late afternoon in the southeast, with further heavy rain the main risk as it develops.

A flood watch is current from Hervey Bay to the NSW border and there is a minor flood warning for the Logan and Albert Rivers.

The BOM is warning about more showers and storms next week, with those conditions continuing right until Christmas.

The low-pressure system off the southeast Queensland coast is expected to bring another round of very heavy rainfall and strong and damaging winds, with gusts of more than 100 km/h in some areas forecast.

https://www.sbs.com.au/news/largest-coastal-erosion-in-years-wild-weather-in-northern-nsw-queensland-expected-to-worsen