Warragamba Dam overflows for first time in years amid NSW ‘extreme weather event’

Sydney’s main water source, Warragamba Dam, has spilled over for the first time since 2016, as rivers in Australia’s largest city swell amid a downpour.

Water began cascading over the dam wall about 4.00pm Saturday, not long after authorities warned much of Greater Sydney to brace for flooding.

NSW’s coastline has been pummelled by a days-long rain event that the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) has warned will continue into next week.

Several areas have sustained record falls, and while the dam — which is about 70 kilometres from Sydney’s CBD — also spilled over in 2012 and 2013, the last major flooding event was in 1990.

An evacuation order was issued for Picton, about 40km away from the dam, just over an hour after it started overflowing.