'Hectic period' for emergency crews facing wild weather

Emergency workers were called north of Cessnock on Saturday night after reports a Mini car was grounded due to the floods.

The driver, a 27-year-old woman, managed to get out but the passenger, 26, was dragged away with the strong current.

Police said the women were visiting the Hunter from Sydney, but had decided to return home due to their concern about flooding in the area. 

"It's a tragic circumstance and a dire situation in terms of a warning for community members," Hunter Valley police superintendent Steve Laksa said.

"We've had a number of areas in the Hunter Valley that have been prone to evacuation orders and warnings in relation to floodwaters. I'd just ask the community to take heed of those warnings and do not enter any waterway."

The missing woman is an engineer and has been in Australia on a working visa for the past three years.   

Meanwhile, State Emergency Service (SES) crews responding to the emergency managed to save a 40-year-old man who was stuck in a nearby tree due to floodwater.

The man was swept out of the tree but rescuers followed him in the water and managed to pull him to shore, and he was taken to hospital.

Both sides of the nation faced severe weather, with high winds and storms in Western Australia and soggy conditions and flooding continuing for northern NSW.

Tens of thousands of households in the eastern state spent a night without power as heavy rain, floods and unprecedented snow wreaked havoc.

The NSW SES responded to more than 1455 call-outs related to rain, thunderstorms and snow.

"It has been a very hectic period for our wonderful NSW volunteers and we've had over 1300 of them out and about, responding predominantly around the mid north coast area," deputy commissioner Debbie Platz told ABC News. 

"We do need people to be cautious because what we're now seeing is whilst the rain has eased in many parts, the floods will now start."

Emergency services issued nine flood watches along with 32 severe weather warnings across NSW for damaging surf winds, coastal erosion and the potential for snow and black ice.

Residents in some parts of Taree on the mid north coast have been asked to evacuate due to flooding, while warnings are in place for the Peel and Namoi Rivers at Tamworth, Manilla and Gunnedah.

Armidale and Guyra in New England had unprecedented snowfall and SES crews responded to more than 100 trapped cars.

Nearly 20,000 homes were left without power in Perth on Sunday as storms swept through the city. 

Authorities warned surfers, fishers, swimmers and boating enthusiasts to stay clear of the coast due to dangerous swells.

People have been urged to stay at least eight metres away from fallen power lines, power poles and damaged electricity equipment.