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SES volunteers are calling on drivers around NSW not to risk their lives by driving through floodwaters as hundreds of roads are swallowed by heavy rain.

The NSW SES Parramatta Unit shared a video of a man in a Nissan Pulsar driving through a flooded road where the water came up to his vehicle's windscreen.

He made it safely across before an SES volunteer spoke to him about the danger of his actions.

READ MORE: NSW towns pushed to 'breaking point' as flood crisis worsens

"While the vast majority of our community were cautious and heeded our warnings to never walk, ride, or drive through floodwater, unfortunately there were still occurrences of poor judgement on display," the unit wrote on Facebook.

"This footage was captured by one of our crews while on scene at a potential flood rescue where they were working with council to close the road.

"Please don't put yourself, and our volunteers at risk by driving into floodwater!"

READ MORE: 'Worst is yet to come' for NSW floods, Premier warns

Several hours later the same unit was forced to put out another reminder after they discovered road barriers had been taken down during the night.

"It is a real disappointment for our volunteers to see road closures being ignored, such as this one that has been broken in Cranebrook tonight," the unit advised.

"Our flood rescue volunteers are there to help in emergencies, don't risk their lives with risky driving.

"Picture of broken barrier tape next to water over road barricade. Rising water across road (deeper than it looks!) shining in the background."

READ MORE: South East Queensland on high alert as heavy rain lashes region

The major cause of death during floods is people driving, riding or walking through floodwater.

Floodwater is often deeper and faster than it appears and can contain debris such as downed trees, household items and even powerlines.

READ MORE: Couple loses dog inside home swept away by floods

"A 'road closed' or a 'road flooded' sign means that road is unsafe to travel on. Find alternate ways which are free from floodwater or wait until the all clear is given for that road. It is safer to turn around than to enter floodwater," the State Emergency Service advises in its official bulletin.

"If there is a flooded road which does not have a 'road closed' or 'road flooded sign', it is still unsafe to travel through floodwater.

"Floodwater can also erode and wash away road surfaces leaving deep holes and uneven surfaces which cannot be seen."

A timelapse film of the severe New South Wales flood shows how rapidly waters from the overflowing Hawkesbury River completely submerged parts of Windsor, a town north-west of Sydney.

Thousands of people across NSW have been evacuated over the past 36 hours as the state experiences a once in 100-year flood event.

The timelapse, purportedly filmed this weekend near the Windsor boat ramp, documents floodwaters submerging a vast tract of land.

– Use the photo slider below to see how waters quickly rose

READ MORE: Spiders swarm as floods rise, and snakes could follow

LIVE UPDATES: All the latest news, warnings and images from the NSW floods

Residents along the Hawkesbury River have been placed on high alert since the weekend, as flooding reached levels not seen for 60-years.

Five major tributaries pour water into the Hawkesbury-Nepean valley during heavy rains, and natural chokepoints impede the flow of water to the sea, which can cause devastating and extreme flooding.

The NSW State Emergency Service has ranked the valley one of the highest flood dangers in Australia.

WaterNSW advised this afternoon that water spilling from Warragamba dam, which feeds downstream into the Hawkesbury-Nepean river system, had fallen off from last night's peak.

The volume of water spilling from Warragamba dam today is currently 300 gigalitres per day, down from Sunday's peak of 500 GL/day. Sydney Harbour is estimated to hold about 500 gigalitres in total.

But with more rain forecast by the Bureau of Meteorology in coming days, the likelihood is that the spill rate could rise to a second peak, possibly midweek.

Other Sydney supply dams are also receiving inflows, WaterNSW said, with Nepean, Cataract, Cordeaux and Avon dams all spilling.

WaterNSW estimated, on current forecasts, it is likely Warragamba will spill for at least another week.

The Bureau of Meterology has forecast another 50-100mm to fall in the Sydney region in the next few days, while even more is expected on the NSW South Coast.

Severe weather warnings have been reissued for large parts of the state, and residents in Dubbo, Armidale, Tamworth have warned to be on alert for the next 24-36 hours.

The person who filmed the timelapse could not be contacted.

When floodwaters finally recede, those displaced across NSW will understandably be eager to return home – but they may find a scaly or scuttling surprise waiting for them.

While a half-submerged house isn't suitable for humans, it can provide a welcome refuge for animals driven out of their natural homes, from rodents to – unfortunately – snakes and spiders.

A number of NSW residents have captured footage of spider swarms trying to escape the floods, in the process becoming an eight-legged tide in their own right.

Penrith man Steve Varley filmed just such a horde at the Penrith weir, where they scrambled for higher ground as the waters surged below.

The shiver-inducing footage is sign enough that spiders are normally shy and retiring creatures who prefer not to be seen at all – though that might be small comfort to somebody who returns to an infested home.

And along with the spiders come their fellow phobia-inducers, the snakes.

Sydney-based snake catcher and Snakes In The City director Harley Jones told nine.com.au it was "difficult to predict" how heavy any infestation of flood-affected homes would be.

READ MORE: Thousands could be evacuated as Sydney braces for record flood

"We're coming to the end of the snake season, the temperatures have dropped and it doesn't look like they'll be coming back up," Mr Jones said.

"But it's a very unique sort of event we're seeing, so it's yet to be seen."

Red-bellied black snakes and brown snakes are the most common reasons for call-outs in Sydney's west, Mr Jones said.

"Obviously nobody wants a brown snake in their home, it's about the worst possible thing you can find when you get back after a flood," he said.

The NSW SES cautions that snakes and spiders can be among the dangers of a flood-hit home, along with structural damage, sewage, and damaged electrical outlets.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about NSW flood financial support

People are urged to be careful when they return, and dress in sturdy work boots and gloves when clearing debris.

Anybody who finds a snake in their home is urged to not approach it.

"The only dangerous snake is a snake somebody's interfered with," Mr Jones said.

People are instead advised to call a professional snake catcher – and, if at all possible, to take a photo.

"Even if it heads somewhere else, if we know what kind of snake it is, we'll know where to look," Mr Jones said.

A Sydney mum has emerged as the mystery winner of a $50 million Powerball jackpot drawn last week.

But it was only a twist of fate that led her to buy a ticket in the first place, with Sydney's driving rain almost keeping her away from the shops.

"The weather has been absolutely crap and so I wasn't even going to buy a ticket because I didn't want to go out. I also thought there's no way I would be the winner," the woman said.

READ MORE: Millions in unclaimed lottery winnings in Australia

"But at the last minute, I had to duck out so I thought I would try my luck."

The winning numbers were announced last Thursday, but until today, nobody had come forward to claim the massive prize.

The woman said she only checked her numbers yesterday.

"I ran straight to my husband and said, 'Christ, I think we've won $50 million!'" she said.

"He checked the ticket and we both went into a state of shock."

She said the plan was first to "look after" their family, then enjoy some shopping sprees.

READ MORE: Million-dollar lotto prize unclaimed for five months

"And we might get a new house, too, who knows?" she said.

More immediate celebrations involved a bottle of champagne and some takeaway dinner.

"There's no way I am cooking," she said.

"Although I don't even know if I will be able to eat, I am too excited."

The winning ticket was bought at CTC Eastern on Anzac Parade in the Sydney beachside suburb of Maroubra.

READ MORE: Hunt for Thursday's lucky lottery winner

But because the woman was not registered to a player card, officials from The Lott had no way of contacting the winner.

CTC Eastern's John Yu said it was the first division one ticket he had sold in the seven years he owned the shop.

"Sadly, it's not me, but I'm very happy for one of our customers," he said.

"We've been here for seven years and this is the first division one winning ticket we've ever sold."