A man has died and at least 100,000 homes and businesses remain without power after extreme storms ripped through Sydney and parts of NSW.
Severe thunderstorms, combined with a low pressure system, are set to combine and create turbulent conditions, with heavy rain set to continue into Thursday.
It’s been a wild night for Sydney residents. Picture: Newswire/ Gaye Gerard
Overnight, 24mm of rain fell in just 19 minutes in parts of Sydney at about 9pm on Wednesday evening, with winds in Cowra reaching top speeds of 107km/h.
A man believed to be in his 80s was killed in Cowra about 3.50pm Wednesday when the wild winds caused a tree to fall on his vehicle.
At least 100,000 homes and businesses across Sydney and parts of NSW remain without power as of Thursday morning, according to the latest updates from Ausgrid.
More than 90 per cent of power outages are believed to have been cuased by lightning strikes.
As of 10pm Wednesday night, more than 300 electrical hazards had been reported by Sydney residents.
The total of homes impacted by the blackouts initially reached 140,000, though power has since been reconnected to about 40,000.
Sydney’s northern, central and eastern suburbs were affected along with NSW’s central and east coast and regional areas including Wagga Wagga and Orange.
“Extra emergency crews will continue working throughout the night to remove a significant amount of debris, attend to hazards to make areas safe and work to restore power as soon as possible,” a statement from Ausgrid read.
The wild weather has caused thousands of residents to go without power. Picture: NewsWire/ Gaye Gerard
More than 400 incidents were reported to SES NSW on Wednesday night.
“Now is the time to have a chat to your families and make decisions if you still wish to camp in locations near creeks and rivers,’ NSW SES senior manager of state operations, chief superintendent Dallas Burnes said.
“We may see rapid river level rises and flash flooding which will make things challenging should you try and leave.
“Strong winds could bring down trees and powerlines, as well as cause damage to properties.
“You could find yourself bogged, and in need of assistance.”
More to come.