Sydney weather: Large hailstones, severe storms follow commuter nightmare
ANOTHER night of severe electrical storms wiped out power to 11,000 homes in the NSW Illawarra and parts of western Sydney.
NSW
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ANOTHER night of severe electrical storms wiped out power to 11,000 homes in the NSW Illawarra and parts of western Sydney.
The system whipped up another impressive lightning show across the city on Tuesday evening and quickly dumped significant rain along its eastern suburbs about 7pm.
The weather bureau said 13mm fell at Little Bay in roughly half an hour. Endeavour Energy said the wild weather had also damaged the network, with strong winds bringing down trees and branches over power lines and two lightning strikes on major substations.
Emergency crews had begun working to restore power to about 11,000 homes and businesses, describing the damage to the network as “extensive” and urging patience.
The highest wind speeds were recorded at Sydney Airport, where there was a gust of 91 km/h and over Sydney Harbour, where there was a gust of 89 km/h. Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Rob Taggart said the storms had developed on a trough moving over the southeast of the state and gradually marched through the Illawarra and into Sydney.
Power providers estimate about 11,000 homes and businesses lost power across the NSW Southern Highlands, the Illawarra and Sydney due to the extreme storm conditions.
Winds of up to 98km/h have been recorded at Parkes.
The State Emergency Service is now on high alert.
“The storms were lightning active because it was pretty unstable above the surface, so that fosters electrification and that generates lightning,” he told AAP on Tuesday evening.