Heavy rains bring both relief and new dangers to bushfire-hit Australia

Pedestrians brave strong wind and rain in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, February 9, 2020. REUTERS/Loren Elliott

MELBOURNE/SYDNEY (Reuters) - A four-day downpour across Australia's east coast has brought relief after months of devastating bushfires and years of drought, but also widespread storm damage and forecasts of more wild weather to come.

The weekend drenching represented the biggest sustained run of rainfall in Sydney and surrounding areas for 30 years, dousing some bushfires and replenishing depleted dams across New South Wales, the country's most populous state.