Severe thunderstorm across Campbelltown leaves residents without power

Severe thunderstorms and heavy rainfall across NSW have left residents in Campbelltown without power.

A severe thunderstorm which swept across NSW on Tuesday afternoon left more than 1,900 Western Sydney residents without power.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) warned NSW residents of several severe thunderstorms, large hail and heavy rainfalls across Sydney, western Sydney, the Blue Mountains and Wollongong.

Other areas put on alert were the upper Hunter and southern inland NSW, with the BOM warning of damaging winds and heavy rainfall.

⚠️⛈️ Severe Thunderstorm Warning update: several storms in the #BlueMountains, #WesternSydney & #Wollongong area could deliver large hail (>2cm) and heavy rainfall. Also, damaging wind gusts are possible from storm outflows in the southwest of NSW. https://t.co/jJWt2wlxelpic.twitter.com/yC4OhaDRBl

— Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) February 13, 2024

The thunderstorm hit Campbelltown residents hard and left 1,953 without power, with energy company Endeavour Energy working on solving this issue.

A spokesman for NSW State Emergency Services (SES) said there had been 79 calls for assistance as a result of the severe weather.

“(There were) 79 call outs for assistance since 3pm today, of those 63 were in the Sydney Metro region but there was a focus on the Campbelltown area,” they said.

“(This is) including a carport blown off and landed on a neighbour’s house in Ruse. We’ve also performed a flood rescue in Chipping Norton, where an SES member evacuated a person from half a metre of flood water.”

SES has advised those caught in the thunderstorm and any possible flash flooding to seek refuge in the highest place available and call triple-0 for rescue.

“Keep clear of creeks and storm drains. Don’t walk, ride your bike or drive through water. Unplug computers and appliances. Avoid using the phone during the storm and stay indoors, keep away from windows and keep children and pets indoors as well,” they posted on social media.

More showers and thunderstorms are expected to hit NSW for the rest of this week, with temperatures in Sydney predicted to remain in the high 20s and low 30s throughout the week.

Out in the city’s west places like Penrith, Richmond and Blacktown will stay in the low 30s.

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