Flooding has battered cities and towns across the Mid-North Coast and the Hunter Region in northern New South Wales, leaving many residents stranded or forced to evacuate after days of heavy rainfall.

In some areas of NSW, more than 200 mm of rain has fallen in 24 hours. At the same time, dry conditions have gripped much of the continent.

Emergency authorities have dozens of emergency-level alerts in place across the Mid North Coast and in the Hunter, with parts of Taree, Wingham and Glenthorne the areas of most concern.