By Jessica McSweeney and Angus Dalton
Severe thunderstorms, hail and gusty winds could dampen Christmas celebrations in Sydney in the afternoon after thunderstorms lashed the state on Sunday evening.
By midday on Christmas Day, at least 24 flights in and out of Sydney Airport were cancelled by multiple airlines. The cancellations come after passengers on a Virgin flight from Sydney to Melbourne got the shock of their lives when lightning struck their plane as it was flying.
A passenger told the Herald there was a huge bang and the plane shook when the lightning struck on the 7.30pm Christmas Eve service.
A spokesperson for Virgin confirmed the plane was hit in a suspected lightning strike. The plane landed safely in Melbourne and was deemed safe to continue flying, the spokesperson said.
In Sydney, the Bureau of Meteorology is warning another round of wet and wild storm activity is on the cards for Christmas afternoon and evening as a slow-moving storm cell threatens to bring more flash-flooding.
“That thunderstorm risk will continue. They can always be incredibly dangerous, but what we are looking at today and tomorrow is the risk of flash flooding along with some hail and gusty winds,” senior meteorologist Gabrielle Woodhouse said.
“At this stage for later today there seems to be a greater risk around the Blue Mountains and the western suburbs, but a very broad risk of severe thunderstorms generally along the east coast of NSW.”
A slow-moving cell on Sunday night inundated Sydney Airport and the SES carried out more than 20 rescues in the eastern suburbs as Christmas Eve commuters were trapped by flash-floods.
Most of the flood rescues in Sydney involved people stuck in their cars due to rapidly rising water levels.Credit: NSW SES
Sunday’s storms were widespread up and down the coast, with hail up to 10 centimetres in diameter falling on the Far North Coast of NSW near the Queensland border.
Between 5.30pm and 7pm on Sunday, more than 64 millimetres of rain hammered Sydney Airport, delaying departures by an average of an hour.
Travellers posted photos of runways covered in water that made life difficult for baggage handlers and other airport workers.
Elsewhere, Little Bay in the city’s east recorded 56mm of rain in just one hour.
The bureau also issued a flood watch for parts of the South Coast through to the Upper Murrumbidgee.
“Heavy rainfall, more intense with thunderstorms, is forecast with a low-pressure system expected to move through southern NSW,” the flood alert read.
SES Commander Greg Swindells said the Northern Rivers was also a concern and that while isolated flash flooding was likely, he did not expect the type of widespread flooding seen in the state’s north two years ago.
“It’s natural to be anxious and have anxiety in regards to the weather. I can assure you that the information that we have, we’re not expecting any riverine flooding,” Swindells said, referring to flooding that occurs when waterways exceed their capacity and spill.
“Our greatest risk [for Christmas Day] is for localised flash-flooding and also the hail and severe winds that we may see, particularly in the Northern Rivers.”
NSW SES Acting Assistant Commissioner Allison Flaxman said crews were prepared for a busy few days.
She urged people to take care. “It is critical people assess the conditions of not only their route, but their destination before travelling, and avoid camping in low-lying areas,” she said.
“If you come across flooded roads, please turn around and find an alternative route. Never drive through floodwaters.”
She said flood rescue teams had been in position and prepared for the coming days.
– With AAP
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