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A month's worth of rainfall in 24 hours.
The Bureau of Meteorology’s Steven Bernasconi says a number of rainfall records have been broken in New South Wales.
"In Friday's 24 hours we had a real setup for this event with a hundred millimetres of rain falling in 24 hours across a lot of the Sydney basin. And that was really setting up the soils to not be able to take much more after that. We've seen widespread 100 to 150 millimetres across a lot of the Sydney basin and a lot of the Wollongong coastline and the South coast. We've also seen significant 200, and in some cases, 250 millimetres of rain fall in 24 hours."
Chatswood was the wettest suburb in Sydney, with its heaviest 24-hour rainfall total in four years of 189mm.
Resident Dave Kissane says it was a rough night.
"Yeah, look, it was pretty crazy last night. It was almost cyclonic last night because it wasn't just rain, it was the wind. So the wind was, I think, hitting gusts of about 40 or 50 knots... So the water levels over here, they're pretty much up to maybe thigh high. So if you've got a four wheel drive, then you can get through it, but with sedan cars you can't get through it."
The Hawkesbury, Nepean and Colo rivers remain flood risks [[this weekend]], with the water level rising also for Sydney's Warragamba Dam, which holds most of Sydney’s water supply.
Evacuations have been ordered for 11 locations in the Sydney metropolitan region, including the Hawkesbury-Nepean, Chipping Norton in western Sydney, and North Narrabeen on the northern beaches.
In North Richmond, near the Hawkesbury River, resident Jason Hardey says he is preparing for the flood threat.
"It has a lot of effect. Everyone's trying to race to the shops. There's a lot of anxiety that people go through because they don't know how long it's going to last; or because the dam's starting to spill. So obviously, yeah, we're unsure of when it's going to go down."
New South Wales State Emergency Service responded to nearly 2,000 [[1,800]] callouts over 24 hours.
New South Wales Police says a man has died in Penrith - his body found in water near a reserve.
He has yet to be formally identified; and an investigation is underway, with a report to be prepared for the coroner.
New South Wales State Emergency Service commissioner, Carlene York, says residents need to remain vigilant.
"There have been a number of regretfully flood rescues over the period of this event. So we've had 152 across the state; 72 just being in the metropolitan area. So again, very dangerous floodwaters, difficult to see at night. People need to make safe decisions to look after themselves and their family or other people in the car - and not drive through those floodwaters. There's blue sky out there, but the rivers are still rising as the water flows into those river systems."
She says even after floodwaters peak at Sydney's Warragamba Dam [[midnight Sat 6 April]], the flow-on effects will be felt for "the next few days".
"Preparing for the water that is now coming out of the Warragamba Dam. At this stage, we think the effect of that will be just on those low-lying areas where we have been out with the community, letting them know what's coming; and ensuring that they prepare for those waters, which we don't think is affecting a significant number of people in those areas. But certainly rural farmland, stock and families and businesses in that area need to be aware of the next couple of days, as the water will continue to flow down at a high level in those river systems."
In the Blue Mountains, a landslip on a primary access road has left a community cut off.
And extensive public transport delays continue.
Premier Chris Minns says he is grateful to the thousands of volunteers who responded to the wild weather event.
"There's just under 4,000 volunteers that spent the night in the cold and windy and rainy conditions, saving people's lives, keeping the community updated. They don't need to do it. It's a volunteer organisation. We're very, very grateful for their service on behalf of the people of New South Wales."
He says the government is aware of the vulnerability of residents who have homes in flood-prone areas.
Last year, the government decided to stop the construction of more than 10,000 homes in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley floodplain.
Mr Minns says this latest weather event vindicates that decision, adding the government will work with communities to figure out what changes need to be made.
"That is being considered at scale right now in New South Wales is Northern Rivers community. There's a massive program of relocation, of home buying, of building new communities in the Lismore community and the surrounding towns for precisely this reason. And as a result of climate change, you're going to see increasing weather events like we've seen over the last 48 hours; and governments are going to have to work with communities to make changes. It's not going to be easy, but it's obviously necessary."
This weekend's storms are bringing a flood risk for southern Queensland.
Charleville and nearby towns in Queensland's southwest are expected to be isolated for days after the levee was shut on Friday, ahead of the Warrego River peaking.
Queensland's Minister for Fire and Disaster Recovery, Nikki Boyd, says resources are in place to help the residents.
"We were just up in Charlton where there was some swift water rescue crews that were being choppered out to Charleville. So there's reinforcements in place for Charleville right now. I've been on the phone to the mayor very regularly over the last couple of days. We're confident that Charleville as a town has the protections in place to be able to protect it with the levee investment, but we are keen to ensure that people are listening to those warnings and that they're prepared. So if they need to respond, their best place to be able to do it."
