Australia Weather News

The State Emergency Service has confirmed that the Lachlan River has peaked in Forbes on Sunday night.

The river peaked at a height of 10.67 metres, slightly higher than the peak of 10.65 metres recorded during the 1990 flooding. Around 100 properties have been affected by floodwaters.

The SES has received over 2300 calls for help but has praised the residents for being well prepared for the floods. However, there are fears that some residents could remain isolated for up to five days.

The town appears to have escaped the worst possible scenario, a flooding of Lake Forbes, which would have split Forbes in two and isolated hundreds of residents. Despite this, the water levels in Lake Forbes continue to rise and there are concerns that a predicted deluge later in the week will exacerbate the situation.

The New South Wales central western region has experienced its wettest September in decades. Nearby Orange has recorded its wettest September ever, more than 60mm more than the previous record set in 1892.

This has caused the Lachlan River to surge, with Wyangala Dam, approximately 130 kilometres upstream, currently at 102 percent of capacity.

The Bureau of Meteorology is predicting a further 20-25mm of rain to fall on Wednesday and Thursday and there are grave concerns for the nearby towns of Condoblin and Eubalong. Water levels in Condoblin are expected to peak at 7.3 metres on Friday.

SES Acting Deputy Commissioner Mark Morrow has urged residents to remain on high alert, with a strong possibility that the worst is still to come. "There is a renewed low-pressure system due to come in later this week," he warned.

"There will be downstream flooding effects at Condobolin and Euabalong on the Lachlan River."

"They will see major flooding and people will need to start to think about preparing now in those communities ... but of course that low-pressure system will bring renewed rises potentially on the Lachlan River itself in Forbes, and we could see that community subjected to this sort of flooding for the next 10 days to two weeks."

The SES has been joined in the region by a number of Defence Force personnel, who are offering assistance to residents. Assessment officers are also due to arrive in Forbes on Monday to begin assessing the extent of the damage.

However, it could be weeks or even months until the full toll is known, with floodwaters expected to remain at elevated levels for a number of months.