After a downpour of rain and hail on Wednesday, January 23 cars became stranded in the flash flooding at Coates Avenue. 

The area around Coates Avenue at the Main Street intersection and past the Aquatic Centre has been subject to flash flooding when drains in the area can’t cope with the sudden downpours. 

Lithgow City Council trucks were used to block the road to prevent motorists trying to drive through the flood. 

Farmers Creek also rose quite rapidly to force the closure of the Geordie Street crossing. 

Rain was still quite patchy around the region with Club Lithgow claiming they recorded 70 millimetres in their rain gauge from Wednesday’s storm.  

While Marrangaroo weather station recorded 6.8mm of rain and The Bureau of Meteorology said the official readings over 24 hours in the Lithgow area from 9am Wednesday to 9am Thursday, January 24 was 20 millimetres for Lithgow.

Areas such as Mount Walkers and Bowenfels received 12 millimetres, Clarence got its fair share with 14 millimetres and Mount Boyce got 10 millimetres while Blackheath received 11 millimetres.  

Around the region Lowther received the most amount of rain with a total of 42 millimetres. 

While the rain was a welcome change from the hot sun, a high intensity heatwave is expected to return, with the worst impacts likely to be felt in many areas on Australia Day. 

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Temperatures are predicted to soar as high as 40 degrees in some parts of the region, with the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) issuing a warning to the community.

“From Thursday temperatures will again climb sharply … peak temperatures will probably hit on Saturday and Sunday,” BOM NSW/ACT manager of weather services Jane Golding said.

Current forecasts predict that by Australia Day severe heatwave conditions will impact large areas of the Central West. The current conditions will also see elevated fire dangers.

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