Over 20 people have been rescued from floodwaters following a severe thunderstorm that hit Sydney, dropping nearly 100 millimeters of rain and causing significant traffic disruptions.
The storm system moved through the Blue Mountains and western Sydney by late morning and reached the city around midday, bringing heavy rainfall and life-threatening flash floods that overwhelmed roads and affected public transportation. Horsley Park in western Sydney received 88.2 millimeters of rain, Observatory Hill in the city saw more than 53 millimeters, and Penrith experienced 46.2 millimeters.
Several roads across Sydney were submerged, with knee-deep water reported on Bridge Road near the Fish Market, Riverstone in the northwest, and Rushcutters Bay in the east.
NSW SES commander Stuart Fisher confirmed that 21 people had been rescued after being trapped in their vehicles by floodwaters. He expressed frustration that motorists continued to ignore warnings about driving in flooded areas. “It’s dangerous, and it doesn’t take much to get a car stuck in these conditions,” Fisher said. “The vehicles are lightweight, which means they can easily be moved by the floodwaters and put the occupants at great risk.”
The SES received over 300 calls for assistance during the storm, and more than 550 incidents were reported across NSW overnight from Sunday to Monday.
Sydney’s public transport system was also severely impacted. Light rail services on the L2 Randwick and L3 Kingsford lines were shut down due to flooding, while Strathfield station flooding led to delays on multiple train lines.
Thunderstorms are expected to continue throughout the day, with a chance of less severe storms on Tuesday, followed by easing conditions on Wednesday. The Bureau of Meteorology issued warnings for areas including Gosford, Sydney, Orange, Katoomba, Dubbo, and Parkes.
Helen Reid from the Bureau noted, “It looks like everyone will experience some severe weather today.”
Earlier in the morning, a particularly intense storm dropped a large amount of hail on Harden, near Cootamundra, covering the area with a thick layer of ice. The hail caused flooding in homes and businesses, shattered windows, and left wildlife injured. An animal ambulance was sent from Sydney to treat several birds affected by the storm. The SES responded to over 120 calls in the area.
The thunderstorms were triggered by a surface trough and a moist, unstable air mass in inland NSW, with an upper trough driving the storms eastward toward the coast.