Severe Weather Warning: Heavy Rainfall and Flash Flooding for Sydney and Illawarra

Alert Details

The Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has issued a severe weather warning (IDN21037) for heavy rainfall. The alert was issued at 4:44 pm AEDT on Thursday, 26 February 2026, and is classified as a top priority for immediate broadcast.

Affected Areas

The warning covers parts of the Metropolitan and Illawarra Forecast Districts. Specifically, heavy rainfall is occurring in the northern Illawarra and southern parts of the Sydney Metropolitan area. Locations that may be affected include Campbelltown and Bulli.

What You Should Do

The State Emergency Service (SES) advises residents to take the following precautions:

• Do not drive, ride, or walk through flood water.
• Keep clear of creeks and storm drains.
• If trapped by flash flooding, seek refuge in the highest available place and call 000 for rescue.
• For emergency help in floods and storms, contact the SES at 132 500.
• Monitor updates via the Hazards Near Me NSW app or the ACT ESA website.

Expected Conditions

A slow-moving trough is bringing persistent heavy showers to the region. Forecasters indicate that six-hourly rainfall totals between 60 and 90 mm are possible. These conditions may lead to dangerous flash flooding in the affected areas.

Timeline

The heavy rainfall is currently occurring and is expected to continue through Thursday evening. While conditions are expected to ease below warning thresholds in the Illawarra this evening, the trough may move further north and stall over additional parts of the Sydney Metropolitan area overnight. The next update is scheduled to be issued by 11:00 pm AEDT Thursday.