Flash flooding has hit the Mid North Coast town of Wauchope this evening.
Streets in the CBD were swamped by about 1 metre of water just before 7pm, stranding cars and inundating shops.
Local Beau South was driving home from work when the water caught him by surprise.
"[First there was] just a puddle and then I was just in the middle of it. I was in shock, only one word can sum it up."
Mr South said he returned to the CBD an hour later and the water had completely subsided.
The SES carried out a rescue when a car became trapped in floodwater at around 7pm, and there have also been a number of calls for assistance for sandbagging and storm damage.
The local hotel was forced to close on what would normally be a busy Friday night.
Hastings Hotel owner Alistair Flower commented on social media that the inundation came just a week after the one-year anniversary of the devastating 2021 floods.
Missing man found dead in floodwaters
It came after the death of a man in floodwaters at Coaldale, north of Grafton in northern NSW overnight.
Police said they were contacted about 8:30pm on Thursday night after reports 72-year-old Alan Forrester Senior went missing at Coaldale Road.
Neighbour Roland Gay helped to try and find him.
"A girl said her father was on the other side, so we went and checked and he wasn't in the car," he said.
"He was 800 metres from where it happened and there were four or five bends in the creek.
Mr Forrester's wife Glenys Forrester spoke of her grief in a social media post.
"Love you to the moon and back … will miss you forever".
A community loss
Mr Gay remembered his neighbour as someone who "loved joking" and was helpful too.
"He put our bins out for years; he loved doing it.
"He was involved in the community in the hall committee and the fire brigade, that sort of thing."
Coaldale resident Allan Reardon said it would be upsetting for the small community.
"Yeah [for] Anzac Day service last year I'd asked this chap to speak of his experience — he was a Vietnam veteran," he said.
"He did it a really good job of it, and yeah, it's pretty upsetting."
More flash flooding to come
The death comes as severe weather is forecast for the Grafton area and Mid North Coast in coming days.
Storms on Thursday dumped heavy rain over parts of the region and Nambucca Heads received 120mm overnight.
BOM senior meteorologist Jackson Browne said the severe thunderstorm activity would shift to the north and west today.
He said total forecast falls of 100-150mm were predicted over the coming days, mainly around the Coffs Harbour and Grafton areas.
The BOM has issued a flood watch for the Bellinger, Nambucca and Severn Rivers.
Mr Patterson said thunderstorms could lead to isolated rainfalls of up to 300mm.
He said the SES was on standby to deal with flooding emergencies as they arose.
"We’ve pre-positioned significant resources, particularly flood rescue resources, in the upper Mid North Coast area," he said.
"They will be able to redeploy fairly quickly depending on where these thunderstorms pop up. They’re also being supported with aviation assets."
Mr Patterson said the weather conditions could also lead to landslips, with the possibility of fallen trees and damaged roads being of particular concern.
