Severe weather warning issued by Bureau of Meteorology for heavy rainfall in Hunter region

Downpours seen across the Hunter on Thursday dried up by Friday morning and conditions remained that way for most of the day, but the torrential rain was expected to return last night and continue into Saturday.

The Williams River at Dungog had broken its banks by mid-afternoon, causing minor flooding - the water level sat at 5.4 metres just before 5pm and was still rising.

The State Emergency Service said the river could reach a moderate flood level of 7.6 metres some time late on Friday or early on Saturday.

The Gloucester River at Gloucester was also experiencing minor flooding, with a level of 5.6 metres continuing to rise on Friday afternoon.

Possible flooding was also anticipated at the Paterson River near the Gostwyck Bridge.

Water was flowing over the spillway at Grahamstown Dam for the first time since January, 2016.

Hunter Water said the dam reached capacity on Thursday night - it was at 96.9 per cent a week ago.

Chichester Dam and the Tomago Sandbeds are also at capacity.

Meanwhile, there was land slip near the marina at Nelson Bay just before lunch time that had to be cordoned-off.

At Maitland, the Melville Ford Bridge was closed because of water on the road.

"There is a high chance we will see minor to moderate flooding in the waterways," Port Stephens SES spokesperson Alysha Springett said.

"We are currently preparing for flood boat and flood rescue responses, as well as preparation in the event areas are isolated due to rising waters."

Further north, residents in towns around Port Macquarie - North Haven, Dunbogan, Laurieton and Diamond Head - were told to evacuate their homes by 8pm last night.

The BoM continued to warn of "possibly life-threatening" rain in parts of the Hunter and Mid North Coast for Friday night and Saturday.

It came after Nelson Bay recorded 202mm of rain in the 24 hours to 9am on Friday.

Blacksmiths had 187mm, while several other parts of the region experienced rainfall passing 100mm.

"We are calling on all communities from the Mid North Coast right down to the Illawarra to be vigilant and monitor weather conditions closely," SES commissioner Carlene York said.

"Flash flooding is a huge concern. The real danger is that it can't be predicted and will happen extremely quickly."

Premier Gladys Berejiklian urged people to reconsider travel plans this weekend.

"We just want everyone to stay around, close to their homes and be safe and to follow any of those [safety] messages," she told reporters in Sydney.

"So please know that this weekend is going to be quite severe in terms of weather conditions and we don't want to see any lives lost because of that.

"Please follow the warnings, please stay home where you can and don't go traveling on the roads."

The SES responded to 50 jobs in the Lower Hunter, Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and Port Stephens areas overnight into Friday morning.

SES Hunter team members were called to Allandale just before 8.30am, where two people were trapped after driving a car onto an inundated road.

The people were rescued and were uninjured.

"It highlights the poor decision-making in our community," SES spokesperson David Rankine told the Newcastle Herald.

Train services have been suspended on the Hunter Line in all directions due to flooding - with parts of the track under water at Sandgate, as well as between Maitland and Dungog/Scone. Limited buses are replacing passenger trains.

The Ben Folds concert set for Saturday night at Bimbadgen in Pokolbin has been postponed, as has Maitland City Council's Street Eats event - adding to the growing list of activities which will not go ahead.

Marine Rescue NSW repeated its call for people not to take boats onto the water or go rock fishing in the wild conditions this weekend.

Update - 4pm:

The Williams River at Dungog has broken its banks and is causing minor flooding, with water continuing to rise on Friday afternoon.

Rainfall eased off significantly in the Hunter this morning, compared to Thursday, but weather conditions are expected to deteriorate into tonight and tomorrow as downpours pelting the Mid North Coast move south.

The Bureau of Meteorology is continuing to warn of "possibly life threatening" rain in parts of the Hunter and Mid North Coast - where the BoM has also issued flood warnings for several rivers.

According to the latest reading, at 2.45pm on Friday, the Williams River at Dungog had a water level of 5.4m - classified as minor flooding. The level was still rising.

The State Emergency Service said the water could reach a moderate flood level of 7.6m some time late on Friday or early on Saturday.

The Gloucester River at Gloucester is also experiencing minor flooding, with a level of 5.6m continuing to rise mid afternoon.

The SES has also been watching for possible flooding at the Paterson River near the Gotwyck Bridge.

The Melville Ford Bridge at Aberglasslyn has been closed because of water on the road.

Parts of several roads in the Cessnock area have also been closed because of pooling water, including Old North Road at Rothbury, Richmond Vale Road at Richmond Vale and Lovedale Road at Lovedale.

There was also land slip near the marina at Nelson Bay just before lunch time that had to be cordoned-off.

BoM meteorologist Agata Imielska said the Mid North Coast was experiencing "very dangerous rainfall", which was expected to move south.

Meanwhile, Maitland City Council's Street Eats event on Sunday has been postponed - adding to the growing list of events set for this weekend which will not go ahead.

Port Stephens SES spokesperson Alysha Springett said, despite the eased conditions through the day on Friday, crews remained out responding to jobs in the area.

"There is a high chance we will see minor to moderate flooding in the waterways," she said.

"We are currently preparing for flood boat and flood rescue responses, as well as preparation in the event areas are isolated due to rising waters.

"Water across the road can be extremely dangerous, as the water height is often deeper than perceived, there can be road erosion and other hazards that may cause damage to the vehicle or cause the vehicle to become entrapped."

Update - 12.30pm:

The State Emergency Service is urging people not to drive into floodwater after two people were rescued at Maitland on Friday morning.

SES Hunter team members were called to Allandale, where two people were trapped after driving a car onto an inundated road just before 8.30am.

The people were rescued and were not injured. The rescue was among 10 performed in the state's northern region since Thursday night.

"It highlights the poor decision-making in our community," SES spokesperson David Rankine told the Newcastle Herald.

"There's no decent reason to risk your life and the lives of our volunteers trying to cross flooded roads and causeways."

The SES responded to 50 jobs in the Lower Hunter, Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and Port Stephens areas overnight into Friday morning.

Emergency responders were preparing for worsening conditions expected later in the day.

They are also continuing to respond to calls for help - largely covering leaking roofs with tarps and issuing sandbags.

The Port Stephens SES crew is preparing the flood boat for possible rescue responses ahead of more heavy rain forecast for the region.

Meanwhile, at Grahamstown Dam, water is flowing over the spillway for the first time since January, 2016.

Hunter Water said the dam reached capacity on Thursday night after more than 200mm of rain fell over catchment areas.

It was at 96.9 per cent capacity a week ago.

Chichester Dam and the Tomago Sandbeds are also at capacity.

Train services have been suspended on the Hunter Line in all directions due to flooding - with parts of the track under water at Sandgate, as well as between Maitland and Dungog/Scone.

Limited buses are replacing passenger trains.

The Ben Folds outdoor concert set for Saturday night at Bimbadgen in Pokolbin was postponed on Friday morning, organisers confirmed.

Port Stephens Council says the following roads are closed or under water:

Roads closed:

Water over the road:

Friday March 19 - 10am:

The deluge on the Hunter coast continued from Thursday night into Friday, with the latest figures shedding more light on the extent of the downpour.

Bureau of Meteorology figures releases this morning show that, in the 24-hours to 9am on Friday, Nelson Bay had 202mm of rain, Blacksmiths was hammered with 187mm, Wangi Wangi got 149mm, Merewether was lashed with 144mm and Adamstown received 121mm.

Nelson Bay is forecast to get as much as 200mm today, while Newcastle is predicted to receive up to 120mm, with the BoM predicting "possibly life-threatening" conditions in parts of the Hunter and Mid North Coast.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said on Friday morning the State Emergency Service had received "literally hundreds of callouts" across the state overnight.

She urged people to reconsider travel plans this weekend.

"We just want everyone to stay around, close to their homes and be safe and to follow any of those [safety] messages," Ms Berejiklian told reporters in Sydney.

"So please know that this weekend is going to be quite severe in terms of weather conditions and we don't want to see any lives lost because of that.

"Please follow the warnings, please stay home where you can and don't go traveling on the roads."

The BoM said on Thursday that "persistent and heavy rainfall" would affect the Lower Hunter, Sydney and the Illawarra from today into the weekend.

"A Flood Watch has been issued for the Mid North Coast, Hunter and parts of Sydney," the bureau said in a statement.

"Residents and visitors in affected areas are urged to closely monitor warnings and updates over the coming days."

State Emergency Service crews at Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and Port Stephens were run ragged yesterday, with 88 calls for help in the 24-hours to 2.30pm - 30 of those came in the two hours from midday.

Part of Foreshore Road at Salamander Bay was washed away by rainwater rapids and SES teams were called to help stop leaks at NSW Ambulance's Charlestown base, St Peter's Anglican Church at Hamilton and several daycare centres across the region.

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