One dead, thousands without power after thunder storms sweep across Sydney, Central Coast and the Hunter
A man has died after powerful storms tore across the state, closing rail lines and causing delays on Sydney’s transport system after power was impacted.
A man has died after powerful storms tore across the state, shutting down rail lines, cutting power to 75,000 homes and unleashing chaos on Sydney’s transport system.
The band of thunderstorms created winds in excess of 100km/h in parts of the state already on high alert for bushfires because of heatwave conditions.
Police said a 76-year-old man died after being struck by a falling tree at Glenworth Valley, on the Central Coast, about 1.20pm.
Emergency services were called to a property on Glenworth Valley Road following reports that the man had been struck by the tree during the storm.
Despite the best efforts of paramedics, he could not be saved.
Meanwhile, Transport for NSW has advised stranded commuters that trains are not running between Parramatta, Richmond or St Marys, in both directions, “due to severe weather causing power supply issues at various locations”.
“Repair crews are on site and are working to restore train services, however there is no forecast for when train operations will resume,” the message said.
“Limited trains continue to run between Parramatta and the City; and between St Marys and Penrith / Blue Mountains Line stations.
“Delay travel, consider using other transport or make your own travel arrangements if possible.”
Officials warned they expect delays to continue “throughout the afternoon peak and into the evening”.
Ausgrid has reported over 22,000 lightning strikes and damaging winds, with over 35,000 of their customers without power.
Areas hit hardest include Northern Sydney, parts of the Hunter and the Central Coast.
Ausgrid said “emergency crews are working to restore power when safe to do so, as the heavy rain and high winds continue.”
Another 39,000 homes are without power on Essential Energy’s network, with the the most heavily affected the Central West region, New England region, the Central Tablelands, Mid North Coast and the South Coast.
In Sydney, wild footage captured the moment one of the storm cells began to roll across the suburb of Bungarribee in the western suburbs, with trees swaying in the wind and bins knocked over and carried away as residents ducked for cover.
On the north side, a real estate office in Collaroy suffered significant damage as its awning bowed under the force of the storm.
The M7 Motorway near Eastern Rd in Rooty Hill was closed due to a fallen tree, a warning from Live Traffic NSW states.
Meanwhile, fallen overhead wires near Carlingford have led to the L4 Westmead and Carlingford Line light rail services being suspended.Services are still running between Rosehill and Westmead, Transport NSW said in a statement.
“Train passengers travelling on the T1 North Shore and Western Line, T5 Cumberland Line and Blue Mountains Line are advised to allow plenty of extra travel time due to severe weather causing power supply issues at various locations,” the statement continues.
“Trains around the Richmond, Penrith and Blacktown areas may stop on platforms or between stations for longer than normal, and stops may change at short notice.”
Transport NSW has urged passengers to consider delaying their trip or make alternative arrangements for travel.
The SES is reporting that six homes have been badly damaged in the tiny Central West town of Nevertire, west of Dubbo.
At Kurri Kurri in the Hunter, a metal roof was torn off a local business and crashed into the town’s main street, narrowly missing motorists and cars during the peak of the storm.
There were also reports of a female motorists trapped in her car after a tree fell on it at Testers Hollow, near Maitland, however a police spokesman said the woman was not trapped and there were no reports of injuries at that site.
The Bureau of Meteorology says several intense cells, fuelled by a cold front and unstable air mass, are sweeping east and capable of producing damaging winds and large hail.
Gusts have already hit 110km/hr in Orange and almost 100km/h at Parkes as the weather band powers towards the coast.
The SES is urging residents to secure loose items, keep cars away from trees, stay indoors, and avoid fallen power lines, which may be energised in the conditions.
Further warnings are in place across the Metropolitan, Central Tablelands, Illawarra and parts of the Central West as the front continues to intensify.
It comes as NSW is bracing for its most dangerous bushfire conditions in years, with catastrophic and extreme fire danger ratings issued across large parts of the state as temperatures, wind and dry air combine to create volatile conditions.
The Lower Central West Plains — including areas around Forbes, Dubbo and Parkes — has been placed under a catastrophic fire danger warning for Wednesday, meaning fires that start will be fast-moving, unpredictable and near impossible to control.
Large regions, including Greater Sydney, are under extreme fire danger, with temperatures in the metropolitan area expected to surge to 37C.
Western Sydney is expected to feel the worst of the heat, while strong west to northwest winds will increase the risk of any fires spreading rapidly.
Much of NSW is set to swelter through soaring temperatures this week as extreme fire danger conditions sweep across the state, including a total fire ban is in place for 11 NSW.
A fast-moving grass fire ignited on Corowa’s northern fringe in southern NSW, prompting the NSW Rural Fire Service to issue an emergency alert about 3.50pm.
The blaze was reported near Whitehead Street, with authorities warning that people living north of Redlands Road and west of Honour Avenue were under immediate threat.
A second emergency warning bushfire was declared at Bullenbong Rd, The Rock, 32 kilometres southwest of Wagga Wagga before 5pm on Wednesday.
Residents between Bullenbong Rd and The Rock-Collingullie Rd have been urged by the RFS to “seek shelter now” as it was too late to leave.
Both those fires were downgraded later on Wednesday.
RFS Commissioner Trent Curtin said volunteers were ready to respond but warned the conditions would make firefighting extremely difficult.
“Our volunteers will be crewed up and our aircraft will be ready for dispatch,” Commissioner Curtin said.
“But under these conditions, it can be very difficult to bring fires under control, so our community needs to be prepared.”
Twenty-one bush and grass fires are currently burning across the state, all of them either under control or being controlled.
The extreme weather has also forced the closure of 25 public schools, mostly in the Riverina. All independent schools remain operational.
The Riverina is coming off its driest period in years, heightening fears as bushfire season intensifies. Most of the closed campuses are small, remote schools.
The Bureau of Meteorology and Rural Fire Service have flagged a dangerous run of hot, dry and windy days, with several regions — including Greater Sydney, the Greater Hunter, Central Ranges, and the Riverina — expecting extreme fire danger ratings on Wednesday and Thursday.
Senior Meteorologist Miriam Bradbury said NSW and Queensland were facing another dangerous day of heat, storms and fire weather.
“Daytime and night-time temperatures are sitting six to 10 degrees above the November average... there is very little relief overnight,” she said.
Sydney only dropped to a low of 20 degrees overnight.
“We only dropped to around 20 degrees overnight and we’re heading for a top of around 36 degrees. Very little relief is expected over the next couple of days,” she said.
Bradbury said the combination of heat, strong winds and instability was pushing fire danger into the most severe categories.
“These are very dangerous fire conditions across much of NSW today,” she said.
“We’re seeing a number of districts experiencing extreme, or even catastrophic fire dangers.”
The eastern Riverina has already faced harsh conditions.
On Tuesday a total fire ban was in place, while many other inland regions were at high fire danger that is expected to escalate on Wednesday.
The city will see a mostly sunny morning before the chance of an afternoon shower or thunderstorm, with strong north-westerly winds pushing fire danger to extreme.
Thursday will remain hot with a top of 31C and another extreme fire danger rating, though fresher east to south-easterly winds will develop later in the day.
Conditions ease on Friday with a cooler 26C and mostly sunny skies before heat begins to build again across the weekend.
Sydney is forecast to reach 32C on Saturday ahead of a southerly change, before dropping back to 26C on Sunday with partly cloudy conditions and only a slight chance of a shower.
As the heatwave pushes families to find ways to keep cool, western Sydney dad Kevin Acevedo Leiva took his four-year-old daughter Soline to Jamberoo Action Park for the first time.
“If this weather keeps up into summer, we’ll be at the water park more for sure,” he said.
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Originally published as One dead, thousands without power after thunder storms sweep across Sydney, Central Coast and the Hunter
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