Australia's Sydney braces for floods amid massive rainfall

Thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate following warnings of flash floods and landslides amid heavy torrential rain.

Australia's biggest city Sydney is bracing for severe flooding on Sunday amid heavy rainfall in the region.

More than 200 millimeters (roughly 8 inches) of rain have fallen over many areas with some hit by as much as 350 millimeters, the Bureau of Meteorology said, warning of flood risks along the Nepean River.

Rainfall is expected to intensify over the coming two days.

The weather bureau warned of potential flash floods and landslides caused by the heavy rains.

"We are now facing dangers on multiple fronts — flash flooding, riverine flooding and coastal erosion," New South Wales Minister for Emergency Services and Flood Recovery Steph Cooke said in a televised media briefing.

"This is a life-threatening emergency situation," she added.

'No room for the water to remain in the dams'

Authorities have ordered thousands of residents to evacuate and move to safer areas.

Local councils have opened evacuation centers.

The heavy rains caused Sydney's main dam to spill overnight, water authorities said, adding that modelling showed the spill would be comparable to a major spill in March 2021 at the Warragamba Dam.

"There's no room for the water to remain in the dams. They are starting to spill. The rivers are flowing very fast and very dangerous. And then we have the risk of flash flooding, depending on where the rains are," State Emergency Service (SES) Commissioner Carlene York said.

The SES said it has rescued 29 people from floodwaters in the past 24 hours.