As if Maitland hasn't seen enough rain - and mud - these past few months, the region is in for another soaking with the risk of flooding remaining high.
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Hunter Weather is reporting on its Facebook page that "several hundred millimetres" of rain is possible along the east coast in the next few days and the Lower Hunter will get a share of it.
Sunday is expected to be the worst day with wind predicted to be between 70 and 80 kilometres on the coast and 50 to 60 kilometres inland.
A flood watch for the Paterson River and the Williams River has been in place since Thursday afternoon. The NSW State Emergency Service (SES) believes there could be minor flooding within these river systems if the rain intensifies in the Hunter Region.
With the soil already soaked from rain over the past six months, any more rain is likely to turn fields into lakes.
This is the last thing farmers in the Hunter were hoping for, after enduring months of wet weather. Oakhampton farmer Austin Breiner was saying only last month that he was hoping for only a little rain to help his vegetable seeds and seedlings grow. Heavy rain now is likely to destroy his crops again.
The Bureau of Meteorology has upgraded its predicted rainfall for Maitland. The city was expected to receive 15 millimetres on Saturday but will now see between 20 and 35 millimetres. On Sunday the city was in for about 40 millimetres, but now that is expected to be somewhere between 40 and 70 millimetres.
The heaviest rainfall is expected to occur on Monday with 50 to 80 millimetres now predicted with 20 to 30 kilometre winds.
The rain will continue on Tuesday with 20 to 35 millimetres predicted and on Wednesday with the forecast showing between 10 and 30 millimetres. There will be 2 to 15 millimetres on Thursday.
"Whilst heavy rainfall is expected for several days from Saturday through to Tuesday it is difficult to predict with precision the timing and location of the heaviest rainfall and flood impacts, as the trough system expected to produce the heavy rainfall has not yet formed," the NSW SES said in a statement.
Other parts of the state are also in for a wet weekend. The Illawarra region could receive up to 200 millimetres of rain in the coming days.
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