A man has died and more than 160 people have been rescued as a deluge across eastern New South Wales caused landslips, flash flooding and rapid rises in river levels. Suburbs on Sydney’s fringes are facing the threat of significant flooding after more than a month’s rain fell overnight, while a major landslip in the Blue Mountains has cut off a community. A home was washed into a street in Mount Keira in Wollongong, which was hit with between 200mm and 250mm of rain in 24 hours. The storm threat lowered on Saturday afternoon, with a severe weather warning cancelled over the far south coast. The New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, earlier called for caution amid expected days-long riverine flooding. “It’s important to note that flood levels in some of the rivers, particularly in western Sydney, are continuing to rise,” he told reporters on Saturday. The body of the man was spotted in water near a Penrith reserve at about 7.30am on Saturday. The man has not yet been formally identified and the cause of the death was unknown, police said. Officers established a crime scene, an investigation into the death is under way and a report will be prepared for the coroner.