The CBD of the iconic northeast NSW tourist hotspot of Byron Bay disappeared underwater on Wednesday morning.

This is the centre of Byron Bay right now. Several residents have come up to me and told me they’ve never seen it like this pic.twitter.com/l8GMv4xIsw

— Kamin Gock (@kamingock) March 29, 2022

• The flooding hit after 164.2 mm of rain was reported in the 24 hours to 9 am this morning, with the bulk of the deluge falling after dark.
• It came on top of heavy rain over the past days which amounted to 428.6 mm in total to 9 am today. A further 25.8 mm has fallen by early Wednesday afternoon as we write this story.

Byron Bay (population just under 10,000) does have some small creeks running through it, but there is no major river coursing through town like the Wilsons River, which has flooded nearby Lismore and Ballina in recent weeks.

BYRON BAY flooding after copping a drenching overnight. @nbnnews @9NewsSyd pic.twitter.com/Pz6rJCDFMx

— Gracie Richter (@GracieRichter) March 29, 2022

However most of town it sits in a low-lying basin just west of Cape Byron, Australia's most easterly point.

So this is localised flash-flooding, and as you can see, it is extremely severe with water reported as being at least a metre deep and numerous shops, residences and businesses inundated.

Byron Bay today.#floods#byron pic.twitter.com/DzqOvARF0p

— Matt Black (@MattBlavk420) March 30, 2022

Fortunately, rain now appears to be clearing out of the area, however many local roads remain closed. You can check their status at the local government website here.

Please also refer to the NSW SES page for all current evacuation orders, several of which currently apply along the NSW north coast.