Emergency services across the Hunter region were kept busy over the weekend as a series of severe thunderstorms brought damaging winds and heavy rain, causing significant property damage.
Widespread Damage Across the Region
NSW State Emergency Service (SES) crews responded to a total of 41 jobs across the northern zone in the 24-hour period leading up to 5am on Monday, January 12, 2026. The incidents were spread across several local government areas, with eight tasks in Gosford, seven in Newcastle, six in Lake Macquarie, five in Cessnock, and four in Singleton.
A spokesperson for the NSW SES confirmed that the majority of callouts were related to trees brought down by strong winds or reports of rainwater leaking into homes. The storms primarily hit during Sunday afternoon and evening.
Localised Incidents and Response
One of the more serious incidents occurred at Jewells in Lake Macquarie, where a large tree fell onto the back roof of a residential house. Volunteers from the Lake Macquarie SES unit attended the scene.
The same unit was also deployed to a variety of other storm-related jobs. These included dislodged roof tiles, multiple leaking roofs, a tree branch blocking a driveway, and a large tree that had split in half and fallen onto a fence.
Statewide Picture and Weather Outlook
Across the wider state of New South Wales, SES volunteers attended 124 incidents during the same stormy period. The wild weather had largely subsided by Monday morning.
The Bureau of Meteorology forecast for Newcastle on Monday predicted cloudy conditions with a medium chance of showers, decreasing in likelihood by the evening. Tuesday's outlook was for partly cloudy skies with light winds and only a slight chance of a shower.
The clean-up efforts highlight the significant impact of summer thunderstorms in the region and the vital role played by volunteer emergency service personnel.
