Australia Weather News
Flooding in Port Macquarie. (ABC News: Emma Siossian)
The weather system that brought record flooding across northern NSW, leaving fivepeople dead, is moving south but emergency services say the risk is far from over.
A fifth person has been confirmed dead on Friday night, after NSW Police found a body at a flood-affected Cooplacurripa property, about 50 kilometres north-west of Taree.
A concern for welfare was raised for a man on Wednesday after he could not be reached for several days and a shed was reportedly alight.
Police say emergency services could not access the property by road due to flooding and landslides, and air crews could not reach it until Friday.
Officers located a body in a burnt-out vehicle inside the shed today.
The body is believed to be that of the occupant aged in his 80s, but is yet to be formally identified.
Specialist forensic officers will examine the scene and an investigation into the incident is underway.
With emergency services warning the threat is far from over, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese urged people to steer clear of floodwaters, telling ABC Newcastle the situation was "quite horrific".
"Again a reminder that if it's flooded, forget it, and for people to not take risks during what is a very dangerous period," he said.
NSW SES Commissioner Mike Wassing says 177 flood rescues have been carried out in the past 24 hours and they are expected to continue.
"We have active flood rescues still coming into the system," he said.
"We have seen that tempo drop off … but we are still seeing that rainfall come back through the river systems."
Doorknocking is continuing and thousands of people remain isolated, with expectations floodwaters will remain high for some time yet.
"Where locals would normally be used to floodwaters receding very quickly, in some cases that is not the case," Commander Wassing said.
"We are still watching for potential slight increases in some river systems."
The warning to stay vigilant comes after an additional death on Friday morning.
A man's body was found in a car in floodwaters north-west of Coffs Harbour on Friday morning.
NSW Police said a motorist saw a vehicle that had run off Orara Way at Nana Glen, about 30 kilometres north-west of Coffs Harbour, about 4:30am.
"It would appear as though he has driven into floodwaters and his vehicle has been swept off the causeway," Acting NSW Police Commissioner Peter Thurtell said.
[dw map]Officers from Coffs-Clarence Police Area Command and SES volunteers found the body inside the vehicle.
The man is yet to be formally identified but is thought to be in his 70s.
He was the only person in the vehicle.
The discovery followed the recovery of a woman's body from her car on Thursday.
The woman, aged 60, had been warned about driving through floodwater after initially travelling in convoy with a police officer on Wednesday night near Dorrigo.
The driver continued alone towards Coffs Harbour for 17 kilometres, where her car reportedly became trapped in floodwater and she called authorities for help.
Police searched the area that evening and eventually recovered her body from her 4WD on Thursday afternoon, calling it a "tragic circumstance".
It comes after anotherbody was found in floodwater at Rosewood, near Wauchope, earlier on Thursday.
It was believed to be the body of a 34-year-old man, who reportedly became stuck in floodwater while driving the night before.
David Knowles, 63, was also found dead on the verandah of his North Moto Road home, north-east of Taree, on Wednesday afternoon.
Missing man found
At Nymboida, south of Grafton, a 49-year-old man has been located after he went missing on Wednesday night.
He was reportedly walking near a flooded roadway before he went missing, sparking a multi-agency search over the last two days.
Police have confirmed the man was found after 5pm on Friday at a property, after reports he was located by community members.
The man is reported to be in good spirits.
NSW State Emergency Service (SES) spokesperson Andrew Edmunds warned communities to remain on high alert on Friday and into the weekend.
"We're seeing a real risk of renewed flooding across the next day or two," he said.
"Even if it appears to be a sunny day or a decent break in the rain, there's still a huge amount of water to work its way through these catchments and out to sea."
Residents surrounded
While floodwater is receding in parts of the Mid North Coast, residents in other areas are reporting "360-degree water views". Holly Gaddes said a deluge isolated her family's farm at Clybucca, north of Kempsey, overnight.
"We have lived through a few floods here, but this is the worst that we've seen," she said.
"You can't see one fence. Some of our machinery and trucks are underwater."
Ms Gaddes said the water was about 1.5 metres deep and rising even as the sky started to clear.
"If more water comes down the river and we see more rises, I'll start getting concerned," she said.
There have been several rescues on the NSW Central Coast on Friday after heavy overnight rain.
A major flood warning has been issued for Tuggerah Lake, along with a minor flood warning for the Wyong River.
Central Coast Volunteer Rescue Association captain Dan Van Keimpema said a car was swept off a bridge in the Wyong Valley near Mardi this morning.
"It was quite a treacherous scene to arrive on. It turned out to be a complex, challenging rescue with some fast-moving water," he said.
"We've done several rescues, saving numerous lives. We need people to heed the warnings."
The Pacific Highway remains closed between Manning River Drive and George Gibson Drive at Taree.
Traffic is diverted along the New England and Gwydir highways and on Big River Way between Tyndale in the north and Beresfield in the south.
The Live Traffic NSW website indicates the route is suitable for vehicles up to 26 metres long and adds about three hours to travel time.
Flood debris is starting to litter beaches along the Mid North Coast.
At Oxley Beach, near the mouth of the Hastings River at Port Macquarie, a small aluminium boat, pieces of furniture and oyster-lease equipment has washed ashore.
Resupply push
NSW SES State Duty Commander Colin Malone said resupplying communities who may be isolated for several days would become a priority.
"We'll be using boats and helicopters to help isolated people with food and medications and also assist in transporting people to urgent medical appointments or other medical emergencies."
Thirty-six emergency warnings are still in place across the region.
Police have urged the public to adhere to all safety messaging, avoid non-essential travel and not to travel on flooded roadways.
System tracking south
The weather system has now moved to the NSW south coast after drenching Sydney and its surrounds earlier on Friday.
"Some of the highest rainfall has actually been around western parts of Sydney up into the Blue Mountains and the Illawarra ranges as well, where we've seen about 150mm or even slightly more over the past 24 hours," BOM senior meteorologist Angus Hynes told ABC News Breakfast.
"There will be further rain across the south of the state and we might see minor flooding rear up in those southern areas, but it's unlikely to match anything like the ferocity of the flooding we have been seeing and are still seeing along the Mid North Coast district."
ABC