Thousands of people are without power, trees have been uprooted and beaches eroded after a wild weather system battered large parts of Australia's east coast.
The downpour was driven by a "vigorous" east coast low, which the Bureau of Meteorology predicts will move into the Tasman Sea on Thursday.
Residents on Lord Howe Island, in the Tasman Sea east of Port Macquarie, have been warned to prepare for increased winds and elevated seas, with waves higher than five metres.
Elsewhere, damaging winds with gusts up to 100km/h were expected to continue through Thursday morning around parts of northern NSW.
More than 3800 incidents have been reported to the NSW State Emergency Service since the weather event began on Monday.
The majority of incidents have involved fallen trees and powerlines, damaged properties and vehicles, as well as flood-related tasks, including 12 flood rescues.
While conditions are mostly easing across much of the state, damaging winds will persist in parts of the Northern Rivers, Mid North Coast and Northern Tablelands on Thursday.
As of Wednesday night, about 8000 Endeavour Energy customers were without electricity, down from a peak of 30,000.
There was good news for communities in Sanctuary Point and Burrill Lake near Jervis Bay after emergency warnings were downgraded overnight.
In nearby Sussex Inlet, Fay Brown was stranded when roads approaching the Badgee Bridge flooded.
Without a four-wheel drive, Ms Brown would have used a flood access road, but the local council continued a long-standing practice of blocking the road rather than allowing residential access.
"This happens every time we have heavy days of rain. I've lived here 11 years and been stuck on at least five occasions," she told AAP.
"Once we were stuck there for four days."
Meanwhile, water flowing out of Australia's largest urban water supply will add to the risk of flooding after the damaging and complex low pressure system caused havoc.
Warragamba Dam west of Sydney there was a risk of a "moderate spill" overnight into Thursday after days of heavy rain, WaterNSW said.
"The duration and volume of the spill will ultimately be determined by rainfall received across the catchment," it said.
State regulations do not allow water to be released at Warragamba Dam before predicted rainfall or to mitigate floods as it supplies 80 per cent of Sydney's drinking water.
Spills at the dam are not uncommon, previously occurring in May, and three times in 2024.
Warragamba Dam flows into the Hawkesbury-Nepean river catchment, which could face flooding could occur on Thursday.
Other, smaller dams were also spilling after reaching capacity following heavy rains.