Sydney was smashed by a wild storm this evening, which prompted the diversion and cancellation of flights and even brought down trees.
The rain radar over the international and domestic airports showed a band of intense rain moving in from the west as thunder rang out and lightening lit up the night sky.
“Passengers should check with their airline about flights, with some planes turning around due to the dangerous weather,” an airport spokesperson said.
“Due to storm activity, there have been some flight delays, cancellations and diversions.
“We encourage passengers to check with their airline regarding the status of their flight.”
The storm swept through at about 7.30pm, with the severe weather warning later cancelled at about 8.30pm.
Sydney Airport resumed operations a short time later, having registering 19mm in the gauges in less than two hours.
As the thunderstorms moved off the NSW coast, the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) warned they are likely to return in the coming days.
“Severe thunderstorms in the warning area have temporarily eased,” the BoM said.
“However, the redevelopment of severe thunderstorms remains possible. The situation is being closely monitored and further detailed warnings will be issued as necessary.”
Earlier, storms hit areas in the NSW Southern Highlands, with the tourist spots of Gerroa, Berry, Robertson and the area just east of Bowral all warned of storms and heavy rain.
Wollongong, Kiama, Bowral and the Nattai Tablelands as well as Camden, Campbelltown, Picton and Bulli were also in the firing line.
Then the wild weather hit the Sydney city area, Hunter, Illawarra and Central NSW.
Wind gusts close to 100km and hour were recorded in regional parts of the state, the SES said.
They include a 98 km/h wind gust recorded at Cobar Airport at 2.55pm.
Earlier, there was a report of a large tree branch falling on an apartment in Waterloo in the city’s inner south.
The wettest spot was in Thredbo were they recorded 63mm of rain in a number of hours.
Source Credit: 9 News Sydney