Worst Sydney hailstorm in 20 years declared catastrophic
At least 50,000 homes remain without power in Sydney and over 1000 calls for help are waiting to be responded to after the worst hailstorms in 20 years.
At least 50,000 homes remain without power in northern Sydney and more than 1000 calls for help are waiting to be responded to by State Emergency Services after Sydney and the NSW central coast were yesterday rocked by the worst hailstorms in almost 20 years.
So far there has been 15,000 insurance claims worth over $80 million of damage to homes and cars, according to the Insurance Council of Australia.
Since 3pm yesterday SES received 3000 calls which led to over 2000 jobs on the ground. The highest volume of calls came from northern Sydney, Liverpool, Berowra Heights and isolated areas in Lithgow. Some 1418 are yet to be responded to.
Today there are more than 500 volunteers and 120 SES teams responding to the damage caused by hail and winds which reached up to 140km/an hour. Fire Rescue NSW and the RFS are working with the SES to fix powerlines, roofs and clean up roads before Christmas.
In echoes of Sydney’s 1999 hailstorm — Australia’s most expensive disaster, with $1.7 billion in insurance payouts — four large storm cells dropped hailstones as big as tennis balls on Sydney’s upper north shore, the CBD, inner west and the NSW central coast.
These hailstones at #Wamberal near #Gosford are bigger than golf balls #SydneyStorm. @2GB873 pic.twitter.com/M8FLJs1xtp
— Emily O'Brien (@EmilyC_OBrien) December 20, 2018
The Insurance Council of Australia last night declared the storms to be a catastrophe, triggering priority claims for those who suffered property damage.
ICA has warned homeowners of scammers knocking on doors offering to repair homes for cash. There have been reports of fraudsters in the Hills district and Darlinghurst.
“These scammers crawl out of their little ratholes and they seek to exploit vulnerable householders, no insurer will ever send someone to your door offering jobs for cash,” a spokesman for ICA said.
Domestic and international flights were delayed and trains were cancelled as the storms thundered their way through Sydney and surrounding areas from 4pm with the peak of the storm hitting the Sydney basin at around 6.20pm.
The damage was worst on the central coast and Sydney’s upper north shore. Cars had their windows smashed and the SES reported extensive damage to homes, with roofs and skylights smashed in.
Who said Sydney can't have a white Christmas? â„🌨 #SydneyStorm pic.twitter.com/ayHHXQ05Jf
— Mark Stewart (@Markstewart__) December 20, 2018
Traffic lights at dozens of intersections failed during the storm, causing afternoon peak chaos, and trees were pulled down by winds.
Hailstones as big as 8cm in diameter were reported in Berowra on Sydney’s northern fringe.
Surfers hiding under their boards to avoid being knocked out by huge hail at Bondi Beach today ! RT at will... #surfing #Ozesurfer #SydneyStorm #Sydneystorms #Australia #Surfers #Hailstone pic.twitter.com/eTwQOH8mGL
— Ozesurfer (@Ozesurfer) December 20, 2018
A Bureau of Meteorology spokeswoman said: “The storms are moving across the basin and they are very dangerous from the giant hail and destructive winds.”
The bureau said there had been reports of “quite phenomenally large hail out there”.
The largest hailstones in the 1999 storm were 9cm in diameter and caused havoc in Sydney’s east, smashing homes, schools, and cars, and causing the death of a 45-year-old man.
Twitter users posted pictures of rows of cars with their windscreens and rear windows smashed in by hailstones on the central coast.
An SES spokesman said: “What we’ve seen is a fairly intense storm cell creating pockets of damage in the Sydney metropolitan area and in the southwest and the north.’’
The storm wreaked havoc on commuters and travellers beginning their holidays. Roads were flooded around Sydney’s west, and there were long delays on the M4. One of two lanes on the M2 in Sydney’s north was closed during the storm.
Services on at least 11 train lines across Sydney, the central coast and the Blue Mountains were cancelled or delayed because of the wild weather.
The Bureau of Meteorology has forecasted fine conditions with temperaturtues warming up to the high 20s to low 30s for Christmas.
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