Ettalong on the Central Coast was hit hard by a torrential downpour, with 93.5mm of rain falling in just one hour. Nearby Pearl Beach also experienced intense rainfall, recording 133mm over a two-hour period earlier that day.

Edward Townsend-Medlock, a senior meteorologist, warned that heavy rains were anticipated to continue from Sydney’s northern suburbs stretching up to the Hunter Coast on Sunday morning.

“The weather will stay wet and cloudy, but there is no threat of severe thunderstorms,” he assured.

Authorities reported that numerous vehicles remain stranded, estimating that between 10 and 20 cars have been lost to the surf.

Flash flooding also swept several cars onto a beach at Wye River in Victoria.

Several cars were washed onto a beach by flash-flooding at Wye River in Victoria. Source: AAP / Michael Currie

More than 178mm fell in the area in six hours, with the Lorne station registering its highest 24-hour rainfall total since records began in 1884.