A flood alert has been issued after Tamworth was battered by a thunderstorm which dropped nearly 40mm of rain in just a few hours on Tuesday.
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The thunderstorm dumped 39mm of rain on the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) observatory site at the Tamworth airport.
In Peel Street, businesses were flooded and residents waded through ankle-deep water, as storm water drains backed up.
Meanwhile, temperatures suddenly and sharply dropped, with the thermometer plummeting from 29 degrees at 10am to just 20 at 1.30pm.
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The bureau warned on Tuesday that the formation generating Tuesday's wet weather is likely to continue "over the coming days" .
The BoM issued a minor flood watch alert for the Peel River on Tuesday afternoon
The alert means that people living or working along the river must monitor the latest weather forecasts and be ready to move to higher ground should flooding develop.
"A trough will linger over the northern interior districts of New South Wales over the coming days, bringing widespread showers and storms," it said, on Tuesday.
"A secondary trough is set to linger near the far west of the state into the weekend, bringing renewed unsettled conditions."
The BoM also issued flood watch alerts for minor flooding for the Namoi River, the Gwydir River, the Bellinger and Kalang Rivers, the Upper Macintyre River, and the Castlereagh River.
The Peel River was reportedly at about 400mm and below flood level, but rising, on Tuesday afternoon.
The BoM observation site on Dungowan Road at Duri received even more water than in Tamworth, recording 61mm of rain since 9am on Tuesday.
Bendemeer received 57mm, but Manilla received just 3mm.
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