Severe storms that hit northern NSW over the weekend are no longer posing an active threat, but the rain they dumped on some areas could exacerbate flooding around the state.

The Bureau of Meteorology on Monday morning said severe weather was no longer happening in NSW and the ACT, but while the immediate threat had passed the situation was still being monitored.

Flood warnings remain active in several areas as rain over the weekend added to saturated catchments and already high rivers.

The Northern Tablelands town of Bundarra recorded 87mm of rain in six hours on Sunday, while an overnight drenching delivered 76mm to Redoak and 63mm to Wauchope early on Monday morning.

The Upper Hunter River is expected to have some minor flooding as it moves through Aberdeen and Muswellbrook, while Macintyre and Severn Rivers also flooded on Monday morning at Inverell and Ashford.

Rain caused significant river rises along the Gwydir River, which the BOM says could deliver moderate flooding to Gravesend on Monday night.

Tamworth’s Peel River rose rapidly on Monday morning to deliver moderate flooding as well, while the Castlereagh River reached moderate flood levels at Mendooran, northeast of Dubbo.

Strong wind and hazardous surf warnings are also in place on the Macquarie and Hunter coasts.

The low pressure system that led to storms over the weekend is expected to weaken on Monday, but another trough is forecast to move over the state on Wednesday and Thursday, bringing more rain.

The severe wet weather has already contributed to a woman’s death in a national park and the dramatic rescue of two boys swept away by floodwaters over the weekend.

A woman believed to be aged in her 30s died after a tree branch fell on her while she was bushwalking in the Watagans National Park at Cooranbong, north of Sydney, about 6.30pm on Sunday.

The area was being drenched by heavy rain that had been falling throughout the day.

Despite the efforts of relatives and first responders, the woman was unable to be revived.

The tragedy came a day after a NSW police officer rescued two boys from a flood-affected river.

Emergency services were called to the Lachlan River in Condobolin on Saturday after two 11-year-old boys jumped in before the police officer swam out to them with a flotation device.

They were swept 60 metres away by the fast-moving current, made worse by the flood level.

Residents in Forbes in the state’s central west were evacuated on the weekend, with farmers in the surrounding areas counting the cost of lost crops.

On Sunday night, the SES issued a partial all-clear for some Forbes residents to return home as major flooding eased on the Lachlan River but moderate flooding continues in low-lying areas.

The SES advised residents and businesses to keep preparations in place however as more rain is forecast that may contribute to increased flooding and river rises over the coming week.

– AAP