A severe spring storm has lashed Sydney and large parts of New South Wales, leaving one man dead and causing widespread destruction. The State Emergency Service received more than 2,250 requests for help in the past 24 hours, responding to over 1,800 incidents. An 80-year-old man died in Cowra when a tree fell on his car.
More than 100,000 homes remain without power on the Ausgrid network, which covers Sydney and the Hunter Valley. Energy provider Ausgrid described the storm as the biggest to hit Sydney in several years. The worst-affected areas include Sydney's north, south-west, inner city, and Newcastle coastal areas. Essential Energy, serving regional NSW, reported over 50,000 customers impacted at some point during the storms.
In Mudgee, a home was completely destroyed by fire after a downed power pole landed on the property. Fire and Rescue NSW Acting Superintendent Matt Sigmund confirmed no one was home at the time. In Dubbo, lightning struck a tree near a leaking gas pipe, forcing a one-hour closure of the area while crews brought the blaze under control.
In the Hunter region, a hay shed was demolished on a farm in Rouchel, and roofs were torn off at Cessnock High School and the NSW Port Authority at Honeysuckle in Newcastle. Wind gusts of up to 120 kilometers per hour were recorded at Williamtown, with gusts exceeding 100 kph in several areas including Kurnell, Scone, Dubbo, Cowra, Wagga Wagga, and Tamworth.
The Bureau of Meteorology's senior meteorologist Christie Johnson said the wild weather was caused by a cold front triggering a massive line of storms extending from near the Queensland border to Tasmania. Supercells developed along the line, producing damaging winds and heavy rain. The heaviest rain fell at Eurobodalla on the south coast, with 127mm recorded in 24 hours.
Ausgrid spokesperson Junayd Hollis said additional maintenance crews are working to restore power, tracking more than 560 hazards across the network. Essential Energy also has 24/7 crews on hand. Concerns remain that Thursday and Friday's weather forecast could cause further chaos as cleanup efforts continue.
