Unbelievable footage emerges of woman in the middle of the most Aussie act ever as storms sparked flash flooding and cut power to 200,000 homes – with more wild weather on the way
A woman was spotted using the slots in a flooded location as wild storms battered Australia’s south-east.
The woman was one of several Aussies affected by severe storms that hit Sydney and wider New South Wales on Thursday.
The system claimed the life of a man in his eighties in the central west of the state.
He was driving on the Lachlan Valley Way in Cowra when a tree fell on his vehicle, killing him on the spot. He has yet to be formally identified.
The State Emergency Service (SES) received more than 2,250 calls for help in the past 24 hours and responded to more than 1,800 incidents.
Several residents are also still without power: more than 140,000 power outages and 300 people are at risk of electricity.
However, the wild weather is not over yet.
Severe thunderstorms are forecast to combine with a low-pressure system from Thursday to Saturday, bringing significant rain to eastern Australia.
A woman was spotted gambling in the middle of a flooded location during widespread storms in NSW
The woman was one of several Aussies affected by severe storms that hit Sydney and wider New South Wales on Thursday
“This setup is likely to produce showers and thunderstorms from Queensland to Victoria on Wednesday, with some storms also possible in Tasmania and South Australia,” Weatherzone meteorologist Ben Domensino said.
‘Storm activity will continue in some areas from Wednesday to Thursday, with further storms expected over parts of NSW and Queensland on Thursday and possibly Friday.
“Dangerous storms will continue over parts of eastern Australia on Thursday, although the focus of storms will shrink to northeastern NSW and southeastern Queensland.”
A flood watch has been issued for the Orara, Coffs Coast, Bellinger and Kalang River Catchments, Manning and Gloucester, Myall River, Karuah River, Wollombi Brook and Lower Hunter, and Paterson and Williams River, with minor flooding possible.
An unstable air mass combined with an upper trough caused wild weather across much of NSW late Wednesday, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.
Damaging winds, large hailstones and heavy rains not only devastated the country Sydney, as well as the Hunter, Mid North Coast, Illawarra, Central Tablelands, North West Slopes and Plains and Northern Tablelands districts.
Wind gusts in excess of 100km/h were reported at Sydney Airport, Kurnell, Scone, Murrurindi Gap, Tamworth, Merriwa, Dubbo, Mullion, Bombala, Trangie, Cowra, Walgett, Cabrumurra and Wagga Wagga.
Storms in Wagga Wagga, Riverina State injured people, damaged property and destroyed crops.
More than 200,000 homes in Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong were left without power after lightning strikes
Heavy lightning and thunder forced the A-League Women’s match between Sydney FC and Canberra United to be abandoned. The photo shows fans leaving Leichhardt Oval
At Trees, several campers were injured when their detachable huts toppled in high winds, while trees fell on vehicles in Tarcutta, near Wagga Wagga.
SES crews received more than 200 calls for help in the region.
Sydney Airport was forced to temporarily ground all flights.
Arriving flights were diverted to others airports and departing aircraft were returned to their gates.
“Due to heavy storm activity there have been delays, cancellations and diversions,” a spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.
Power outages also brought light rail services to a standstill in the CBD between City Hall and Circular Quay.
Stranded commuters were advised to walk or use alternative transportation.
Several train stations were also without power after a day of rail chaos, including Lidcombe, Cabramatta and Flemington.
At 9.22pm a wind gust of 120km/h was recorded near Newcastle Airport
Damaging winds, large hailstones and heavy rainfall devastated not only Sydney, but also the Hunter, the Mid North Coast, Illawarra, Central Tablelands, North West Slopes and Plains and Northern Tablelands
The Town Hall train station was flooded while T9 services between Epping and Hornsby were suspended after a tree fell on wiring at Normanhurst.
The A-League women’s match between Sydney FC and Canberra United at Leichhardt Oval was suspended mid-match due to a pitch blackout and abandoned shortly afterwards. The Sky Blues were leading 2-0 at the time.
Sydneysiders took to social media to describe the chaos, saying they had “never seen anything like it” in the city.
One woman captured a video of rain blowing sideways due to high winds on the outskirts of the city.
Another filmed the front of the storm as lightning lit up the sky again and again.
“I can’t think of the last time I saw a storm like that. The lightning is crazy,” he wrote.
“Did someone order an apocalypse,” another man asked.
Sheep grazers in the state’s south and ACT are being warned that cold temperatures, rain and south-westerly winds will continue on Thursday.
‘Areas likely to be affected include the Snowy Mountains forecast district and parts of the Illawarra, South Coast, Southern Tablelands and Australian Capital Territory. There is a risk of loss of lambs and sheep exposed to these conditions,” a warning said.
Heavy rainfall was forecast to continue across the Illawarra, South Coast and Southern Tablelands regions.
A hazardous surf warning has been issued for the NSW coast, stretching from the Hunter in the north to Batemans Bay in the south.
Few parts of NSW were spared the wild weather on Wednesday. The photo shows Newcastle on Wednesday evening
Sydney
Friday: Showers. Chance of thunder. Up to 9mm of rain. Wind speeds up to 55 km/h. Min 18C Max 24C.
Saturday: Showers. Up to 10 mm of rain. Wind speeds up to 40 km/h. Min 18C Max 25C.
Sunday: Cloudy. Moderate chance of showers, probably in the morning and afternoon. Wind southerly 20 to 30 km/h. Min 18C Max 24C.
Melbourne
Friday: Possible showers. Chance of thunder. Wind speeds up to 25 km/h. Min 21C Max 31C.
Saturday: Possible showers. Wind speeds up to 25 km/h. Min21C Max. 31C.
Brisbane
Friday: Possible showers. Chance of thunder. Wind speeds up to 25 km/h. Min 21C Max 31C.
Saturday: Possible showers. Wind speeds up to 25 km/h. Min 21C Max 31C.
Canberra
Friday: Mostly sunny. Small chance of showers. Wind speeds up to 30 km/h. Min 10C Max 24C.
Saturday: Partly cloudy. Small chance of showers. Min 11C Max 22C.
Adelaide
Friday: Mostly sunny. Wind speeds up to 30 km/h. Min 17C Max 30C.
Saturday: Sunny. Wind speeds up to 20 km/h. Min 17C Max 32C.
Hobart
Friday: Partly cloudy. Small chance of showers. Wind speeds up to 25 km/h. Min 15C Max 20C.
Saturday: Partly cloudy. Small chance of showers. Wind speeds up to 25 km/h. Min 13C Max 20C.
Perth
Friday: Shower or two. Chance of thunder. Up to 5 mm of rain. Wind speeds up to 35 km/h. Min 22C Max 30C.
Saturday: Partly cloudy. Small chance of showers. Wind speeds up to 30 km/h. Min 17C Max 26C.
Darwin
Friday: Showers. Chance of thunder. Up to 35 mm of rain. Wind speeds up to 20 km/hour. Min 25C Max 32C.
Saturday: Showers. Chance of thunder. Up to 30 mm of rain. Wind speeds up to 20 km/hour. Min 25C Max 32C.