Just 7mm of rain has fallen in Penrith since 9am, with the area appearing to have avoided another deluge in a major relief to local residents.
The Bureau of Meteorology had initially predicted 120mm of rain could fall today but it appears those estimates will be way off.
Meanwhile, the peak outflow forecast from Warragamba Dam has been downgraded to a level below that experienced during the March 2021 spill event.
Less rainfall than predicted over key Warragamba catchment areas has resulted in the peak spill forecast being revised back to a rate of 300-350 gigalitres per day (GL/day), well down on the previous prediction of up to 600 GL/day for this event. The peak outflow figure during March 2021 spill event was a rate of 440 GL/day.
The State Emergency Service says major flooding is still possible at Wallacia with the Nepean River likely to peak at 10 metres this afternoon.
Localised flooding still exists in some areas and a number of roads remain either closed or flood impacted.
Evacuation orders also remain in place for some parts of Agnes Banks and Wallacia.
Tonight’s harness racing meeting scheduled for the Penrith Paceway has been abandoned.
Troy Dodds is the Weekender’s Managing Editor and Breaking News Reporter. He has more than 20 years experience as a journalist, working with some of Australia’s leading media organisations. In 2023, he was named Editor of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.
