More flights axed, homes flooded, thousands without power as ‘dangerous’ NSW storm shifts
Flights have been cancelled, thousands remain in the dark and commuters face ongoing disruptions amid a freak storm – equivalent to a category 1 cyclone – in NSW.
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Flights have been cancelled and more delays are imminent as afreak weather system – equivalent to a category 1 cyclone – smashes the state.
While the conditions, initially classified as a “bomb cyclone”, are slowly pulling away from the coast and into the Tasman Sea, the damaging winds and lashings of rain have left thousands without access to the internet or power, and leaving travellers stranded at Sydney Airport as flights get delayed or cancelled.
More than 60 flights arriving in or out of Sydney have been delayed and cancelled from Sydney Airport before 10am Thursday as the wild weather continues.
Virgin Australia confirmed it had cancelled several flights entering and departing Sydney, with more delays likely as the storms pass over the state.
“Virgin Australia’s schedule has been impacted this morning by the continued adverse weather in Sydney,” a spokesman said.
“The safety of our guests and crew is our top priority, and our meteorologists continue to monitor the weather system in Sydney closely.
“We regret the impact of this on guests’ travel plans and are working hard to re-accommodate impacted guests and ensure they reach their destination as soon as possible.
“We encourage all guests travelling today to keep an eye on the status of their flight via our website or app prior to travel for the latest information.”
A Jetstar spokesman said the “adverse weather conditions” were continuing to affect flight operations.
“Our operations and customer service teams are closely monitoring the situation and working hard to minimise disruptions where possible,” they said.
“We thank customers for their patience and understanding as we work to get everyone on their way as soon as possible.
“We know flight delays and cancellations are incredibly frustrating, however safety is always our top priority.
“As we continue to recover disrupted travellers, availability on flights to and from Sydney on Thursday 3 July is limited, so we’re allowing some additional options for customers,” they added.
POWER CUT FOR THOUSANDS
Electricity was cut to more than 35,000 homes on Wednesday afternoon as heavy rain battered the network and triggered access issues.
An Ausgrid spokesman said there were 1,290 homes without power on Thursday morning in the Mid-North Coast and North Coast areas of NSW, “with crews working to make these areas safe, remove any hazards and get the power back on as soon as it’s safe to do so”.
An Essential Energy spokesman said about 1300 homes remained without power along the North, Mid North and South Coast on Thursday morning.
“Essential Energy crews are continuing to restore power to communities after severe winds from the East Coast Low weather system caused damage to the network overnight,’ they told NewsWire.
Approximately 650 households in the North Coast and Hinterland between Murwillumbah to Grafton remain without power.
Approximately 150 households between Kempsey and Hawks Nest in the Mid North Coast are also in the dark, while 14 in Bega on the South Coast are without power.
“Most customers have been restored on the South Coast with a larger number still impacted in the Mid North and North Coast regions, including the Hinterlands,” the spokesman said.
“There is still a severe wind warning in effect for the Northern Tablelands, the Border Ranges and the Mid North Coast Hinterland that is expected to ease later this morning.”
They urged residents to keep “at least eight metres from fallen powerlines” and to “always assume that these powerlines are live and very dangerous”.
NSW SES crews have responded to 142 incident in the past 24 hours, including two flood rescues.
More than 2000 volunteers and emergency service personnel are on the ground assisting with the incidents, most of which range from fallen power lines to damaged properties and collapsed trees.
While the conditions are starting to ease across much of the state, blistering winds are still expected on Thursday.
“The winds should ease from about midday through the afternoon,” NSW SES Deputy Commissioner Debbie Platz said. “So, that is good news.”
Four weather warnings remain in place on Thursday morning, including an evacuation order for Wamberal residents on The Central Coast as dangerous waves trigger erosion across the coast.
“You must evacuate now because it may become too dangerous to stay in this area,” the NSW SES statement read.
A severe weather warning has been issued for the Northern Rivers, Mid-North Coast and the Northern Tablelands, with winds averaging between 55km/h to 65km/h, with peak gusts exceeding 100km/h.
While the wind gusts are forecast to ease later in the morning, residents in Sydney Metropolitan, Wollongong, Ulladulla, and Tenterfield have been advised to stay away from trees, power lines and secure all belongings outside the house.
Ms Platz urged residents to tie down their belongings, including trampolines, as the devastating winds cause widespread damage.
“We have seen with these high winds a lot of projectiles flying around – trampolines and outdoor furniture that hasn’t been tied down – but also trees that are coming
down on properties and vehicles,” she said.
“And of course, we have had powerlines that have come down as well.
“So, quite a lot of damage out there. And our crews are out and about today assessing the damage and assisting any community where we can.”
TRAINS CANCELLED
Commuters are being warned to check before they travel and be prepared for delays, as crews work to repair parts of the system damaged by heavy winds and rainfall.
At first considered a “bomb cyclone”, the pressure and peak winds of the low-pressure system are equivalent to the strength of a cyclone between category one and category two, ABC meteorologist Tom Saunders has said.
The severe weather and ongoing infrastructure repairs mean road coaches will replace trains on the NSW Trainlink 224 (Armidale to Sydney) and 244 (Moree to Sydney) on Thursday.
Buses are continuing to replace trains between Wyong and Fassifern on The Central Coast and Newcastle line as crews work to repair overhead wiring at Dora Creek.
A Transport NSW spokesman said there was “no forecast as to when train services will resume”.
“Passengers should continue to allow plenty of extra travel time or consider alternative transport,” they said.
“Passengers should also listen to announcements and check information displays for service updates.”
Services on the T9 Northern Line and the T1 North Shore Line are “running on or close to their scheduled times” an online statement read.
#CentralCoastNewcastleLine Trains are not running between Wyong and Fassifern due to overhead wiring repairs at Dora Creek.
— NSW TrainLink North (@TrainLinkNorth) July 2, 2025
Limited buses are operating between Wyong and Fassifern.
A shuttle train service is operating between Fassifern and Newcastle Interchange. pic.twitter.com/K7tjorDev5
Parts of Burrill Lake, Lake Conjola, Sanctuary Point, Sussex Inlet, Shoalhaven have all been warned of flooding, with residents strongly urged not to enter floodwater.
Some homes in North Entrance and Wamberal still face risks from coastal erosion, with a warning to evacuate the area for residents.
Overnight, there was a decrease in rainfall across much of the state as the storm shifts east towards the Tasman Sea.
The Bureau recorded 75mm of rainfall in Currarong, 33mm in Moruya and 42.5mm in Burrawang.
“We have seen some of the rivers respond to the fall which has fallen in the past couple of days,” Ms Woodhouse said.
“There are a number of flood warnings in place for minor flooding currently. Those locations are expected to start to peak and start to recede.
“Starting to see the tail-end of this event in terms of the weather and flooding but there is flooding occurring at the moment still.”
Minor flood warnings are currently in place for the Hawkesbury, Shoalhaven and Snowy Rivers, as well as the St Georges Basin.
“Minor flooding is possible at North Richmond from Thursday morning,” an update read.
“The Nepean River at Penrith is peaking below the minor flood level.
“Minor flooding is no longer occurring at Menangle.”
An initial minor flood warning is also in place for Lake Macquarie.
WARRAGAMBA DAM SPILLS
The heavy rain has filled dams across NSW to capacity, prompting WaterNSW to warn that “moderate” spills are expected.
Warragamba Dam, the state’s largest, began overflowing about 10.30pm on Wednesday
with a peak rate of around 60 gigalitres per day, according to WaterNSW.
“If you are downstream of the dam, stay away from fast-flowing or deep water and never drive, ride or walk through,” a statement read.
“Most other Greater Sydney dams as well as some dams in the Hunter Region continue to spill.”
Bureau of Meteorology meteorologist Gabrielle Woodhouse said they “don’t anticipate that there will be any significant further flooding down stream”.
The Bureau warned that winds would also intensify on Wednesday morning for southern Queensland.
“With a low pressure system lingering off the central New South Wales coast, we’re likely to continue to see severe weather through Wednesday morning, locally damaging wind gusts, rain areas, showers and coastal thunderstorms will continue today, mainly impacting the Illawarra and south coast,” a bureau representative said.
Severe weather warnings have been issued for Queensland as a south-westerly flow develops in response to a low-pressure system over New South Wales.
This will bring damaging winds up to 70km/h, with gusts reaching 100km/h, affecting the Main Range, Granite Belt, Scenic Rim, Stanthorpe, Springbrook, Mount Tamborine, and Crows Nest.
The worst conditions are expected on Wednesday, with weather clearing by Thursday morning.
Sydney’s eastern suburbs and coastal fringes, including Illawarra and the south coast, could face significant damage from destructive wind gusts reaching up to 125km/h.
The bureau reported wind gusts up to 122km/h at Montague Island and more than 100km/h in parts of Sydney, The Central Coast, and the tablelands.
The Risk of heavy rain was expected to ease further into Wednesday morning, but BOM warned that the risk of damaging winds would continue and river rises remained possible.
Emergency warnings were in place for multiple regions across the two states, with 30,000 homes and businesses without power early on Wednesday morning.
“Through today and tomorrow, what we’re still expecting is that low pressure system over the Tasman Sea will become quite complex,” bureau senior meteorologist Gabrielle Woodhouse said.
“Currently we are still expecting damaging winds across quite a broad area of eastern NSW and that extends from the northern ranges down along to the coastal parts for the Hunter, Sydney and south coast, and we’re expecting while some of the winds may start to ease off later tonight and into tomorrow, there is a chance we could continue to see damaging winds along the coastal fringe as well as the northern ranges through tomorrow.”
Ms Woodhouse said waves up to 12m were observed on Wednesday night.
EVACUATION ORDERS IN PLACE
The SES issued a warning for those living in low-lying areas on the north and south of Burrill Lake to shelter in place, while some households at North Entrance and Wamberal were ordered to evacuate over risk of dangerous waves that could “significantly damage buildings”.
In Sanctuary Point, about 100 homes were expected to become isolated as water levels rose, and residents were advised to move to higher ground.
SES crews had responded to more than 2320 incidents since the start of the event earlier this week, with 1200 volunteers working alongside emergency services.
In the 24 hours to 4am Wednesday alone, there were 2160 calls to the state operations centre.
There have been seven flood rescues, all in the Illawarra and south coast.
Ms Platz said the system was “dynamic” and “complicated”, urging the community to stay vigilant.
“It was indeed a very wild night for many people across the east coast of NSW,” she said.
“Flash flooding does remain a key concern to us as the rain continues to fall.”
NSW SES issued seven emergency warnings in the Burrill Lake and Shoalhaven areas on Wednesday night, impacting 335 properties.
Ms Platz said the SES has deployed helicopters and other emergency assets to assist with damage assessments.
“We did see conditions deteriorate overnight with 150mm of rain in some areas and 200mm in Ulladulla area,” she said.
“Seven flood rescue activations took place with vehicles ending up in flooded waters.”
An evacuation centre has opened in St Georges Basin as residents across the South Coast are being urged to leave in the event of flash flooding.
DEMOUNTABLES BLOWN OVER
In Cronulla, in Sydney’s south, three demountable sheds have been blown over on to the road.
Incredible pictures show the sheds, from the second floor of a construction site on Gerrale Street, close to South Cronulla Beach, lying on their sides as police block off the road.
Gusts of up to 130km/h were recorded in the area in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
RESIDENTS DISCONNECTED
More than 1000 properties have been left without internet in the Hunter Valley, central coast and Illawarra and south coast regions.
The National Broadband Network confirmed 1012 services had been impacted by power outages caused by the severe weather battering the east coast.
On Wednesday morning, more than 40,000 Endeavor Energy, Ausgrid and Essential Energy customers were without electricity due to fallen trees and powerlines.
“As the wild weather continues into the morning, there could be more outages throughout the day – as well as flooding and hidden hazards, particularly around fallen or damaged trees,” Ausgrid said in a statement on Wednesday.
Power was restored for 30,000 Ausgrid customers about midday Wednesday.
120MM OF RAIN IN SIX HOURS
Bureau senior meteorologist Jonathan How said heavy rainfall could occur south of Wollongong, and heavy falls could also reach up to Sydney.
Residents could be pelted with up to 120mm of rain over a six-hour period, which could lead to flash flooding, he said.
The bureau has issued a fresh flood warning for the Shoalhaven River, with minor flooding now possible at Nowra and Terara.
As of Wednesday morning, the river was rising steadily, reaching 1.78m at Nowra, forecast to peak at 2.30m around midday, and 1.66m at Terara, expected to reach 2.20m by early afternoon.
The low pressure system will push north on Wednesday and continue lashing the coast with strong winds.
Later in the day, another low pressure system is expected to appear that will intensify and reinforce the winds and rain across the NSW south coast.
Conditions were not expected to ease until late Thursday – by which time rainfall totals in the area south of Wollongong could have exceeded 200mm.
BOM warned that gusty winds and dangerous conditions could linger to the end of the week.
“By Friday, mostly dry and sunny conditions will return to much of the east coast, with season swells decreasing, as well some river rain flooding may continue through the end of the week,” a bureau representative said.
Waves along the coast could exceed 6m as they hit the shore.
“With winds set to intensify and heavy rain continuing and the addition of coastal hazards, we could see some dangerous conditions out there over the next few days,” Mr How said.
‘STAY HOME’
Millions have been told to stay home amid the freak weather event as ferry, bus and train services are impacted or outright cancelled.
Dozens of roads have been flooded in areas such as Byron Bay and Jervis Bay, while highways in Sydney have also experienced flash flooding.
A widespread flood watch is active across the Hunter, central coast, Tablelands, Illawarra, and south coast, with minor to moderate flooding expected in the coming days. Flood warnings were already in effect for the Hawkesbury and Nepean rivers in NSW and the St George’s Basin in Victoria.
East Gippsland was also on alert, with minor flood warnings issued for the Cann and Genoa rivers, where significant river rises were likely on Wednesday.
Transport for NSW co-ordinator-general Howard Collins warned commuters to stay home if they had that option.
“Whether you’re travelling by car or catching public transport, please allow plenty of extra time to get to your destination,” Mr Collins said.
Train services along the T1 North Shore Line were cancelled late on Tuesday due to flooding on the tracks at Town Hall.
About 30,000 people were left without power, including 13,000 in the Newcastle area, due to the storm.
Multiple ferry routes had also been cancelled.
People who had lost power were likely to remain without electricity throughout Wednesday.
Originally published as More flights axed, homes flooded, thousands without power as ‘dangerous’ NSW storm shifts
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