Tens of thousands of people are isolated on NSW's mid-north coast, with emergency services bracing for up to 300mm of rain in isolated areas.
The devastating floods turned deadly with confirmation of the deaths of two men near Taree and Port Macquarie.
Police on Thursday afternoon confirmed the discovery of a body in floodwater at Rosewood, west of Port Macquarie.
It is believed to be that of a missing man, aged in his 30s, who became stuck while driving in floodwater in the area on Wednesday night.
It follows the death of a 63-year-old, whose body was found on a verandah of a flooded home at Moto on Wednesday.
Acting NSW Police Commissioner Peter Thurtell said the SES had been in contact with the man before he died, adding an existing medical condition might have factored in.
Premier Chris Minns expressed "grave fears" for other missing people and encouraged communities to brace for more tragic news in coming days.
A 49-year-old man in Nymboida is believed to have walked into floodwaters and remains missing, while a 60-year-old woman in Dorrigo also cannot be found.
"The grim reality is the communities on the mid-north coast will have the brace for potentially more bad news in the days ahead," Mr Minns said.
The feared deaths have forced officials to yet again beg people to avoid flood waters, follow other related warnings and evacuate areas early if it is safe to do.
The trough that has inundated the mid-north coast is forecast to shift south and while it would give affected areas a reprieve, the Southern Hunter, Blue Mountains and Southern Highlands regions are set for heavy falls.
"There is a reprieve from the rainfall, though, for the mid north coast sometime (on Friday but) that does not mean the flood risk for this area is abating at the same rate," the Bureau of Meteorology's Steve Bernasconi said
A fleet of helicopters, 500 boats and 2500 personnel have allowed the NSW SES to respond to 4000 incidents since the weather event began on Sunday.
About a third of more than 500 flood rescues were due to people driving into flood waters, the premier said.
Some 50,000 people have been warned they could be isolated on Thursday amid dozens of emergency warnings.
Kempsey mayor Kinne Ring said emergency services, council resources and food was running thin as the Macleay River rose.
"I'm at the emergency evacuation centre which has got about 47 people in it," she told AAP.
"It's very unsettled, you can just hear the relentless rain on the tin roof and the only grocery access for West Kempsey is the little IGA."
Widespread rain totals of more than 100mm were recorded in the 24 hours to 9am between Coffs Harbour and Forster with Bellingen experiencing the highest total at 337mm.
The mid-north coast and Hunter regions have been the worst impacted by flooding in recent days, with tens of thousands of people isolated and hundreds requiring rescue.
The deluge has spread to the Northern Rivers and Northern Tablelands as a slow-moving trough dumped rain along Australia's east coast.
Rainfalls between 200 and 300mm in the next 24 hours are likely and may lead to flash flooding, the Bureau of Meteorology warns, around the north coast communities of Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie, Taree, Woolgoolga, Sawtell and Dorrigo.
More than 140 warnings are in place, with local residents in the path of flooding urged to head to higher ground and evacuate if they can.
Evacuation centres have been set up at Dungog, Gloucester, Taree, Manning Point, Wingham, Bulahdelah, Tuncurry Beach, Kempsey and Port Macquarie.
Emergency Management Minister Kristy McBain said the Commonwealth was working with the NSW government to provide support in 16 local government areas.
The minister enacted the Disaster Recovery Allowance - short-term income support - for Kempsey, Port Macquarie, Dungog and the Mid-coast Council area.
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