Residents told to evacuate as flood waters rise in regional Australia

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Hundreds of residents in major regional towns across Australia's most populous state are being urged to leave homes as slow-moving floodwaters push downstream and the country's fourth major flood crisis this year rolls into a second month.

Authorities are urging residents to evacuate from parts of the New South Wales regional towns of Wagga Wagga, Gunnedah, and Forbes, collectively home to roughly 90,000. Flooding at Forbes, roughly 5 hours drive west of Sydney, could hit a 70-year high on Friday.