Sydney suburbs smashed with rain after major storm hits

An intense storm smashed into Sydney at lunchtime,, with multiple suburbs told to “stay indoors” as roads and train stations flooded.

Sydney has been pummelled by a wild lunchtime storm, with 88mm of rain falling in some suburbs with 78mm of that in just one hour.

While the storm that brought the deluge has moved offshore, a spokesperson from the Bureau of Meteorology told NewsWire the violent weather isn’t over, with other parts of NSW can expect “severe storms”.

“It’s not entirely out of the question that we could see further thunderstorms and heavy rain overnight in Sydney,” the spokesperson said.

The State Emergency Service earlier had warned residents to stay indoors as conditions worsen.

Cars were wading through flooded streets on Monday and Sydney’s Town Hall Station was flooded as heavy rainfall smashed the city, with lashings of water running down the steps and filling the train station’s platform.

Town Hall Station has flooded as severe thunderstorms smash Sydney and its surrounds. Picture: Facebook

Streets have also been flooded in the deluge. Picture: Facebook

Residents in Sydney have been warned to bunker down as a severe thunderstorm smashes the city.

The BOM had issued a severe thunderstorm warning for Metropolitan, Central Tablelands and parts of Hunter, Illawarra, Central West Slopes and Plains, Lower Western and Upper Western Forecast Districts about 11.20am.

“Severe thunderstorms are likely to produce heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding, large hailstones and damaging winds in the warning area over the next several hours.”

Sydney, Gosford, Orange, Katoomba, Dubbo and Parkes were all in the firing line, with the SES telling residents to avoid leaving their homes if they could.

In Sydney, a stay at indoors warning is in place for Horsley Park, Liverpool, Erskine Park, Leppington, Fairfield, Penrith, Richmond, Campbelltown and Sutherland.

Driven by a low pressure trough lying through NSW, the bureau warned the storm may be “very dangerous”, bringing flash flooding and extreme conditions over the streets as rainfall batters the city.

Residents in Sydney have been warned to bunker down as a severe thunderstorm smashes the city.

Residents have been warned to stay inside while the intense rainfall smashes the city. Picture: Reddit

In Murrumburrah, 47mm of rainfall was recorded in half an hour, 45mm of rainfall was recorded in 30 minutes at Fairfield City Farm, while 77.6mm of rainfall was recorded in Horsley Park in an hour to 11.50am.

BOM senior meteorologist Miriam Bradbury warned the destructive wind gusts could reach speeds in excess of 125km/h and “giant-sized hail” and locally intense rainfall that could “quickly lead to life-threatening flash flooding”.

Massive hailstones reaching between 2cm and 6cm in diameter battered down in Boorowa, Harden and Temora.

“Be aware of that risk of extra debris on the roads or about your own property through the course of today, thanks to those thunderstorms,” she said.

A major storm is battering down in Sydney.

The rain won’t be going anywhere anytime soon, the bureau warned, as the low pressure trough draws in moisture from the north and off the ocean and “(feeds) it into any showers, storms and rain areas that develop”.

“It’s fairly stagnant,” Ms Bradbury said.

“It’s not moving anywhere very quickly, which is why we’re seeing this risk of storms and rainfall continuing day after day.”

Thunderstorm conditions are expected to stick around until at least Wednesday before moving in an northerly direction towards northern NSW and southern Queensland.

The bureau warned the thunderstorms could be “life-threatening”. Picture: Facebook.

The storm has been classified as “very dangerous”. Picture: X

The thunderstorm warning has stretched across much of the southeast of NSW, the ACT and Victoria, with a thunderstorm warning in place for residents in Gippsland and NSW’s south coast.

Rainfall is expected to be widespread in the areas over the next couple of days, the bureau stated, with falls reaching between 30mm to 80mm in some areas, and isolated falls reaching up to 120mm in pockets of the state.

Wild winds and storms battered the east coast and parts of the city, with flash flooding in Painesville and Lakes Entrance.

Residents in Sydney can expect a very wet and stormy afternoon with southerly winds reaching speeds of 20km/h and a top of 27C.

Brisbane will be partly cloudy with a slight chance of a thunderstorm and a mostly sunny afternoon and maximum temperatures of 31C.

Melbourne will have cloudy skies and a slight chance of a thunderstorm in the afternoon, reaching a top of 26C.

It will be sunny in Adelaide with south-easterly winds and a maximum temperature of 34C.

Residents in Perth can expect partly cloudy skies and a slight chance of rain in the southwest, reaching a maximum of 28C.

Hobart will be cloudy and reach a top of 21C.

There is a high chance of showers in Canberra and a possibly severe thunderstorm, with a maximum temperature of 23C.

Darwin has a high chance of showers and thunderstorm, reaching a top of 32C.