Water is lapping behind shops in Forbes as stressed locals wait for the worst flooding in the central west NSW town in 70 years.
Emergency services have issued 22 emergency warnings across NSW including for Wagga Wagga, Gunnedah and Moama.
In Forbes, about 1000 people have been told to leave for higher ground as the overflowing Lachlan River creeps towards 10.8 metres - a mark not reached since 1952.
"(The floodwater) is sort of lapping on the back streets of the shops in the CBD, so it's pretty awful but it's what we've expected," Forbes Shire Council mayor Phyllis Miller told ABC Radio on Friday.
"I think there's a bit of panic in town. There are some people who have just moved here ...
"We're OK but it's just the unknown of where this flood will end up."
The flood peak was about 20 kilometres upstream of Forbes on Friday morning and was expected to reach the township by Friday evening, the Bureau of Meteorology said.
Emergency accommodation has been set up at a local school.
Local cattle farmer Charles Laverty spent Thursday sandbagging his property on the outskirts of Forbes, with about a third of his paddocks already underwater.
Continued flooding has hit the area and other farming communities hard, as they struggle to recover from repeated bouts of destruction to crops and livestock losses.
"A lot of (my neighbours) have given up on harvesting those areas, which is very expensive," Mr Laverty told AAP.
"The losses are going to be devastating for them."
SES Assistant Commissioner Nicole Hogan said on Thursday areas such as Forbes were experiencing what is referred to as "blue-sky floods".
"Even when the rain has stopped falling, water is continuing to move downstream through various catchments, creating issues with river rises and renewed flood peaks," she said.
Meanwhile, police divers are continuing to search for the body of a man swept out of a ute tray and into a flooded river in the Southern Tablelands.
The man was one of two flung from the tray on Monday night when the ute was driven across a causeway. Police divers found the other man's body on Thursday afternoon.
Elsewhere, the Lachlan River is inundating parts of Nanami, while major flooding continues further downstream at Condobolin. The river is not expected to fall for weeks.
The Murrumbidgee River has also burst its banks, with major flooding and evacuation orders for the major regional centre of Wagga Wagga.
The peak is expected about midday on Friday and is forecast to be higher than the December 2010 flood and similar to the June 1952 flood.
Moderate flooding is continuing at Tumut and it's a similar story for Narrandera, with major inundation possible early next week.
In the west, flood peaks are flowing into the Barwon-Darling River System from multiple tributaries causing flooding at Mungindi, Mogil Mogil and Walgett.
Brewarrina, Bourke and Louth are among towns being warned to prepare for major flooding this month similar to that experienced in September 1998.
BOM said predictions would continue to be revised as upstream peaks were observed.
Concerns are also being raised for the state's road network which has been devastated by repeated, prolonged floods.
"We actually need extra funding for our roads but it's not just funding - we need manpower," Forbes mayor Ms Miller said.
"Our roads are our economic base."
© AAP 2022