Record Rainfall Kills 6, Floods Homes in Sydney

The heaviest recorded rainfall in Sydney’s history Wednesday left six people dead, thousands of homes flooded and rivers at the point of threatening to inundate towns surrounding the city.

The weather service said 20 inches of rain fell in Sydney from Monday until 9 p.m. Wednesday. Of the total, 13 inches fell during a 24-hour period ending at 9 a.m. Wednesday--the heaviest one-day deluge since records were started 127 years ago. Hurricane-force winds of 75 m.p.h. accompanied the rains at the height of the storm early Wednesday, ripping roofs off homes, hospitals, schools and factories. Some suburbs were under knee-deep water.