Sydney airport in chaos as flights halted during severe storm

Sydney was thrown into chaos on Monday night when a violent storm prevented flights and caused major traffic delays.

The weather office alerted Sydney Airport of an incoming storm cell at around 5:15 p.m. before thunderstorms and heavy rain began to batter the city, halting flights.

The storm hit the south of the city an hour earlier – Camden recorded a month’s worth of rain in two hours – and then began moving north, wreaking havoc for drivers on Sydney’s roads.

The Weather Bureau issued several updated “severe thunderstorm” warnings throughout the afternoon and evening, saying the system was heading northeast and likely to bring flash flooding.

He later updated that advisory to say that areas northwest of the city, including Richmond, Windsor and Dural, were also at risk of flash flooding.

“Heavy to heavy rain with thunderstorms has already been observed,” the Bureau said. ‘Be careful on the road and drive safely.’

Passengers at Sydney airport took to social media to report being told the airport was “closed due to storms” at around 5:20pm

Flights at Sydney airport were severely affected by a violent storm that hit the south of the city and moved north at around 4:15pm on Monday.

A Sydney airport spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia that while the airport is not officially closed, some airlines have delayed flights.

“Our best advice is to check with your airline to see if your flight is affected,” the spokesperson said.

Individual airline captains are understood to make the decision to proceed, with many taking a cautious approach with the storm-besieged city.

Streets in Sydney’s west and south-west were rapidly inundated as storm drains struggled to cope with the downpour, preventing commuters from traveling home.

Heavy rain caused flooding throughout the city, including in Milperra, where several vehicles were stranded on the M5.

Flash flooding in Rosehill caused traffic chaos in both directions for drivers after 6:00 p.m.

Two of the three lanes were closed in both directions from James Ruse Drive at Grand Parade/Hassall Street due to flooding and car breakdowns.

In Granville, Woodville Road was closed in both directions between Crescent Street and Wallace Street due to flooding.

As the storm moved north, the roads were submerged in Artarmon.

Two of the four northbound lanes of the Gore Hill Freeway were closed due to flooding.

Meanwhile, at least four cars were stranded on the exit ramp of the M5 motorway in Milperra, in western Sydney, according to 9News.

The weather office said Camden Airport recorded 51mm of rain in just 30 minutes before 4:45pm and by 6pm it had recorded more than 70mm, the equivalent of a month’s rain in less than two hours. .

Severe storm warnings have been issued for several regional areas, including the Blue Mountains and Hawkesbury, Hunter Valley, Illawarra, Central Tablelands, NSW mid-nort coast and Northern Rivers regions.