Thousands left without power after Sydney storm

A man was killed by a flying gas bottle as an extraordinary thunderstorm lashed Sydney overnight, bringing thunder, lightning and heavy rain. 

The 37-year-old was walking in the historic district of The Rocks in central Sydney at midnight when a metal gas bottle became airborne in winds that reached 100kmh, and struck him in the head.    

Horrified witnesses took him to a hotel and performed CPR before he was rushed to St Vincent’s Hospital but he could not be saved. 

Some 80,000 Sydney residents woke up without power on Wednesday morning after the huge storm, which has been compared to a tornado, hit the city shortly before 11pm. It lasted about an hour before moving out to sea.   

Residents were left stunned by the intensity of the electrical storm which lit up the night sky with frequent and bright flashes of lightning followed by deafening cracks of thunder. 

‘Never seen a storm like this before,’ one Twitter user from the city’s west said. ‘Non-stop lightning and thunder for over an hour. Power has gone off.’ 

Commuters were affected as a huge clean-up operation began. The North Shore Line was delayed by a fallen tree near Pymble and the Northern Line was held up by a fallen tree in Thornleigh. 

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Endeavour Energy said electricity cuts were affecting 24,000 of its customers after power lines were brought down in northwest Sydney and the Hawkesbury region on Tuesday night, with 270 electrical hazards needing repairs.

Ausgrid said its power network had also been damaged by the intense lightning storm in, with 72,000 properties left without electricity.

It said that 31,000 had power restored this morning with crews working around the clock and that 49,000 homes and businesses were still without power at 8am. 

NSW SES spokesman Jason Simms told ABC radio that volunteers had been called to 600 jobs in the Sydney metropolitan area since 9pm on Tuesday, with most requests for assistance related to downed trees and branches. 

Emergency workers had ideal conditions as Sydney was sunny with a forecast top of 29C for Wednesday after the storm passed but in other parts of NSW cooler weather conditions are expected as a cold front moved up from from the southeast.

A dry air mass means southern parts of NSW could have temperatures drop below 20C, particularly in the Southern Ranges and South Coast region.

Western NSW regions were not expected to have any significant rainfall over the next few days.

Gale warnings were in place for the Eden Coast and strong wind warnings for the Macquarie Coast, Hunter Coast, Illawarra Coast and Batemans Coast.

Hazardous surf warnings were also in place for the Illawarra Coast, Batemans Coast and Eden Coast, with the NSW Police Marine Area Command advising people to consider staying out of the water.   

Hundreds posted on social media in the midst of the storm. One woman in Sydney’s east said: ‘Some seriously wild weather here in Clovelly. Sensational lightning, wind and sheeting rain.’  

‘This is unlike anything we’ve seen before… The continuous lightning is bizarre and the tornado-esque winds are crazy,’ they said.  

Several flights coming into Sydney were also turned around, unable to land due to the chaotic weather. 

The weather system had moved south from Melbourne, with a severe thunderstorm warning issued for that city’s inner east on Tuesday afternoon lifted by about 9pm.  

Flash flooding had earlier swept through parts of the city including Berwick, Officer, Pakenham, and surrounds. 

The thunderstorms moved quickly, meaning rainfall totals have been quite low across the state, with 24 millimetres the highest recorded in Greenstead near the Hawkesbury River. 

Orange recorded 12mm in 10 minutes, due to thunderstorm activity. Damaging winds of 90km/h pelted Nowra and Wollongong. 

A severe thunderstorm warning was issued for parts of the Blue Mountains and Hawkesbury areas from a separate storm cell.