Two dead as Sydney records wettest day of 2025, New South Wales

Two people died after a vehicle entered the Macdonald River near Wisemans Ferry, about 20 km (12 miles) north of Sydney, during heavy rainfall late on August 20.

A man in his 20s escaped uninjured, while police divers recovered two bodies on August 21 as part of a multi-agency search involving the State Emergency Service (SES) and Rural Fire Service.

Sydney recorded its wettest day of 2025 on August 21, when Observatory Hill measured 82 mm (3.2 inches) of rainfall in 24 hours, exceeding the city’s August monthly average in a single day. It was also the wettest August day since 2007.

By 09:00 LT, the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) reported that cumulative rainfall for August had reached 345.2 mm (13.6 inches), making it the wettest August since 1998, when 482.6 mm (19 inches) was recorded.

The SES issued more than 42 flood warnings, including several “watch and act” alerts, covering areas from Sydney’s south through the Central Coast, the north coast, the New England region, and into the state’s north-west.

The agency has responded to more than 760 incidents since Monday, including over 400 in the past 24 hours. At least 10 flood rescues were conducted, among them a van driver at Douglas Park, south-west of Sydney, who was saved after floodwaters submerged his vehicle.

Heavy rainfall and flooding caused widespread road closures across New South Wales, isolating communities and contributing to hundreds of traffic incidents reported on the state’s Live Traffic network.

BOM forecaster Angus Hines said the weather system was moving eastwards and would shift offshore in the early hours of August 22. Flood risks, however, were expected to continue into the weekend as river levels rose. A major flood warning was in place for the Namoi River, a moderate warning for the Peel River, and minor warnings for the Nepean and Barwon rivers.

The severe rainfall followed an unusually wet start to August, with 194 mm (7.6 inches) falling in the first 11 days of the month, more than double the average monthly total.

Reet Kaur

I’m a science journalist and researcher at The Watchers, contributing to the Epicenter edition, where I cover peer-reviewed scientific research and emerging discoveries across Earth and space sciences. With a background in astronomy and a passion for environmental science, I’ve worked in shark and coral conservation in Fiji, conducting reef and shark-behavior research, contributing to mangrove restoration, and earning PADI Open Water and Coral Reef Certifications. I bring a blend of scientific rigor and storytelling to illuminate the discoveries shaping our planet and beyond.

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