Residents of Forbes in the central west of New South Wales continue to wait for the Lachlan River to peak, as waters inundate low-lying areas of the town of 8400 a little slower than first predicted.

Major and minor flood warnings are in place for the Lachlan River and you should check the Weatherzone warnings page here.

Flood waters are starting to creep up to some homes in Forbes ahead of the peak which has again been pushed back. Authorities warning the threat isn’t over. @9NewsSyd #Forbes #nswflood pic.twitter.com/nR4EhwTZXB

— Hayley Francis (@hayleyefrancis) November 16, 2021

The Bureau of Meteorology now says that the flood peak should be a little lower than the last major flood in 2016. Major flooding is also underway at the locality of Nanami, just upstream of Forbes, where the peak was 0.6m higher than 2016 levels.

Image: This graphic of current NSW river conditions shows why the Forbes area is the only part of the state with major flood warnings in place right now. Source: BoM.

Despite this, a peak of around 10.55m is now expected at the historic Iron Bridge in Forbes, which would be just short of the 10.67m peak in 2016.

The Lachlan has cracked 10m at the Iron Bridge in Forbes. It’s set to reach major flood levels overnight pic.twitter.com/IWsMV3DNFu

— Xanthe Gregory (@xanthe_gregory) November 16, 2021

Meanwhile authorities continue to express concern that some residents are not heeding evacuation orders. With the flood peak now expected later this afternoon or evening, the NSW SES says it expects that some properties in the following areas may become flood affected:

A full list of at-risk streets and areas within the town is available here at the SES website.

Why so much water?

The map below shows you everything you need to know.

The Lachlan River begins its more than 1400 km journey in the Southern Tablelands of NSW just east of Goulburn, flowing generally northwest towards Forbes. As you can see, this was an area that received among the highest rainfall in the state in last week’s widespread spring rainfall.

Image: Not a single hectare of the state missed at least a drop or two, but the Central West and nearby tablelands got a lot more than most areas. Source: BoM.

• The town of Forbes itself has received 101.4 mm of rain in November to date (its November average is just 45mm, so the town has been well and truly soaked).
• But it's the considerably heavier rainfall totals in the catchment of the Lachlan which have sent so much water downstream.
• For example Cowra, about an hour (by road) upstream of Forbes, has also had more than double its monthly average rainfall, and has had its wettest November in 11 years, with 134mm in the gauge so far.
• For the record, The Lachlan River terminates at a wetland called the Great Cumbung Swamp in western NSW. The wetland is wedged between the Lachlan and Murrumbidgee Rivers, and the two rivers don’t usually join, with the exception of flood events like this one.

We'll keep you posted as the flood peak arrives later today.