Lake Macquarie residents may have been forgiven for thinking they'd received a dumping of snow after an intense hail storm on Sunday evening.
Hail blanketed backyards and heavy rain lashed the area, resulting in more than 30 calls for assistance to local State Emergency Service units from about 6pm onwards.
Lake Macquarie SES deputy unit commander Jamal Box said there were 34 calls for assistance to Swansea and Cooranbong units, with Lake Macquarie called in to assist them.
He said most of the calls were about leaking roofs with one roof having completely collapsed.
"There was such a huge amount of rain in such a short time," Mr Box said. "There was quite a volume of water."
Mr Box urged people to be prepared with more intense storms predicted for this week.
A hazardous surf warning has been issued by the Bureau of Meteorology for coastal areas including the Hunter on Tuesday. Heavy rain and strong winds of up to 55 km/h have also been predicted for Newcastle.
"We're asking people to tie down, bring anything unnecessary inside and make sure your roofs and gutters are clear," Mr Box said.
"Be ready. Once adverse weather hits, don't go out looking, stay inside."
