Two people are dead and five injured as violent storms lashed Australia’s east coast on Saturday, causing widespread damage and flash flooding to New South Wales and Queensland during the first weekend of winter.

The eastern states woke to horrendous storms on Saturday morning with gale-force winds and heavy rain forcing the Bureau of Meteorology to issue severe weather warnings, including a flood-watch for the entire New South Wales coast – the first in 30 years.

The extreme system is being blamed as a possible cause of a horror smash near Ipswich, west of Brisbane, that claimed the life of a man and woman on Saturday morning when an out of control truck jack-knifed and ploughed into a mini-van.

The driver of the van died at the scene on the Warrego Highway while his female passenger died in hospital later in the afternoon. The truck driver escaped serious injury and was taken to hospital.

    

A 21-year-old woman was rescued after being swept off the Capricorn highway from flash flooding near Pine Hill Creek at Alpha, in Queensland’s central west.

Queensland police urged motorists to take extra care during the severe weather and to stay vigilant on the roads.

‘We have said it before, but it is really vital not to ignore road closure signs. Already we have had reports of people driving through flooded roads,’ Inspector, Road Policing Command, Peter Flanders said in a statement.

‘Not only is it extremely dangerous, but you can receive an on-the-spot fine of $683 or even face criminal charges for dangerous operation of a motor vehicle as well as running the risk of voiding insurance policies.

‘We have a very simple message to motorists contemplating taking the risk. If it’s flooded, forget it.’

The Bureau of Meteorology also declared a severe weather warning along the entire NSW coast for what meteorologists believe is the first time in 30 years.

BoM senior meteorologist Adam Morgan said it’s unusual to see an east coast low tracking southward, and that it had brought about an unusual warning situation.

‘We’ve got forecasters in NSW that can’t remember in 30 years having a flood watch out for the entire NSW coast,’ he said.

The east coast low is set to hit the metropolitan centres of Sydney, Wollongong and Newcastle on Saturday night, bringing heavy rain, damaging winds and king tides.

Heavy rainfall of up to 150mm is likely for much of the affected area, with localised rainfall of up to 300mm in some areas.

Threats to public safety prompted Vivid Sydney organisers to cancel a majority of lighting installations around Circular Quay and Martin Place, and urge those intending to visit to postpone.

The weather has already knocked out power to parts of Sydney and the Central Coast.

Ausgrid said emergency crews were working on Saturday afternoon to restore power to about 800 customers across multiple locations in those regions.

Abnormally high tides are also predicted by the weather service, causing sea water to flood low-lying areas, and coastal wave heights could reach as high as five metres in some areas.

    

    

    

The NSW State Emergency Service said it received almost More than 1,100 calls for emergency assistance, mostly from residences in the state’s north but also Port Macquarie, Coffs Harbour, Maitland and Gosford.

The Queensland State Emergency Service’s had received more than 500 calls for help.

The SES Queensland’s Kevin Walsh told Sky News on Saturday morning that residents should ‘stay home…it’s probably safest.’

A flood watch warning was issued for river valleys in large parts of eastern NSW, including the Macquarie, Castlereagh, Cooks, Nepean and Hawkesbury rivers.

An evacuation warning has reportedly been issued for NSW residents at Fingal Head, south of Tweed Heads, because of concerns about the Tweed River breaching its banks.

‘Heavy rain has been falling along parts of the northern inland overnight and along the coast, especially the Northern Rivers region, where falls of up to 188mm have been recorded in the Tweed Valley,’ the NSW SES said.

Phil Campbell from the NSW SES told the ABC that heavy rain and other issues were creating a dam-like effect in the small coastal town.

‘When you take into account the floodwaters that are coming down the Tweed, when you’ve got the tide — one of the highest in the year — coming in as well as those large waves that are helping to stop the floodwaters get out effectively,’ he said.

The South Coast rail line has already been partially closed due to heavy rainfall at Port Kembla, while Sydney traffic approaching the international airport returned to normal on Saturday morning after earlier delays.

More than 100 power lines are down across Sydney and several houses have lost roofs, including a unit block evacuated in the eastern Sydney suburb of Vaucluse.

    

    

Parts of Victoria are also on flood watch with rain and possible thunderstorms expected to develop across East Gippsland on Saturday, persisting overnight and through Sunday, the Bureau of Meteorology says.

Rainfall of 20 to 40mm is expected during Saturday and 50 to 100mm during Sunday.

Minor to moderate flooding is likely to develop on Sunday particularly in the Snowy, Cann and Genoa catchments.