Ninety-nine flood warnings were in place in NSW on Sunday afternoon as the state remained in the midst of a weeks-long flood crisis, with the central west towns of Forbes and Wagga Wagga worst hit in recent days.
The Lachlan River at Forbes reached a peak of 10.7 metres on Saturday, slightly below a record set in 1952, while south at Wagga Wagga the Murrumbidgee River peaked on Friday at 9.72m, its highest level in a decade.
As waters slowly receded on Sunday some residents of affected towns returned to assess damage, however state emergency services cautioned it was too early to measure the full impact.
"It's going to be a big couple of days of emergency response in this community until these floodwaters recede and then we can get in and do those damage assessments," NSW SES chief superintendent Ashley Sullivan told ABC TV.
Late Sunday, the Bureau of Meteorology warned the flood risk continued, issuing a severe thunderstorm warning for parts of the Riverina, Lower Western, Upper Western and Central West Slopes and Plains areas.
The Bureau said weather systems in the state's west had combined to produce slow-moving thunderstorms, which could bring heavy rainfall.
"Severe thunderstorms are likely to produce heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding ... over the next several hours. Locations which may be affected include Wagga Wagga, Albury, Deniliquin, Hay, Cobar and Balranald," the forecaster said on its website.
Earlier, emergency responders in Forbes warned conditions were hazardous due to fast-flowing water and the risk of contaminants such as toxic chemicals and sewerage.
NSW SES Forbes unit commander Robert "Rocky" Walshaw said the clean-up would be a slow process as it took a long time for the floodwaters to drain away.
"I've seen shots of it from the air, from the (helicopters), and it's just water everywhere," Mr Walshaw told AAP.
Emergency services fielded 105 calls for help in Forbes on Saturday, while statewide it received nearly 280 requests and carried out 27 flood rescues.
There have been warnings that in coming days rises were likely at Carrathool and further downstream at Hay, with major flooding possible from mid-November.
Premier Dominic Perrottet said on Sunday authorities were better prepared in their flood response than in floods earlier this year in Lismore, noting the rapid deployment of 50 defence force personnel to help with rescues and clean-up in Forbes, Moama and Moree.
Meanwhile, around 20,000 residents remained without hot water and gas for cooking in Bathurst, Lithgow, Oberon and Wallerawang for another month after a gas pipeline was damaged due to the Macquarie River flooding.
Deputy Premier Paul Toole said on Sunday that APA Group - the owner of the gas pipeline - was working on solutions to restore gas supply as quickly possible.
Across the border in Victoria, more than 40 flood alerts were in place on Sunday as authorities warned people on the Murray River at Kenley to evacuate.
Along the Murray River, at Echuca and Moama, major flooding is expected to continue this week, while at Mildura water levels are forecast to rise through November and December.
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