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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Bridie Jabour and Monica Tan

NSW storm: three dead as Sydney and Hunter region lashed by wild weather – as it happened

Flooding near Raymond Terrace
Flooding near Raymond Terrace in the northern part of New South Wales. More than 20 people have been rescued from floodwaters and more than 200,000 homes and businesses are without power as storms continue to lash parts of the state. Photograph: Nikki Short/AAP Image

Summary

As 100km/hour winds and torrential rain continue to beat down across parts of northwest New South Wales and Sydney, here is what we know so far:

  • One woman and two men died in the town of Dungog, north of Newcastle on Tuesday. The town was one of the worst hit in the state by the storm, with police calling for residents to evacuate
  • In the nearby town of Stroud an elderly woman is in a critical condition after being rescued from flood waters. She is believed to have suffered cardiac arrest
  • Power has been cut to 200,000 homes across New South Wales with Ausgrid reporting it may take “several days” to repair the damage
  • A two hour power outage at the North Head wastewater treatment plant in Sydney on Tuesday saw 40m litres of partially treated wastewater enter the ocean. Sydney Water recommended residents of the city avoid swimming at all beaches due to possible storm water and wastewater pollution
  • The state emergency services have now responded to over 4,500 calls and completed 47 flood rescues since weather conditions worsened Monday morning
  • There are closures across the major road networks throughout the Hunter, mid-north coast and Sydney regions, along with bus and rail delays and cancelled ferry services

The storm is currently intensifying over Newcastle, with state emergency services texting residents three hours ago to “expect rapid rise and high velocity flash flooding in local creeks and watercourses”.

We’re closing this blog now in order to brave the sea of broken umbrellas and disrupted commuter services. Check livetraffic.com and Sydney Trains for road and public transport updates. Poor weather conditions are expected to ease off around midnight.

Until then, stay safe!

Video shot by Dave Colvin shows Cattai Road bridge in Sydney flooded due to severe weather.

Updated

With power cuts to 200,000 homes across New South Wales and over 4,500 reports of hazards and wires down across the network due to the wild weather, Ausgrid are reporting it may take “several days” to repair the damage.

Here is their advice about what to do if you find yourself in a blackout:

  • Check to see if lights and appliances in other parts of the house are working
  • Look outside for damage, such as wires down
  • Stay away from any fallen power lines or trees
  • See if your neighbours have power
  • Call Ausgrid’s emergency service on 13 13 88

The state emergency service also posted advice on their website for residents about what to do before, during and after flooding.

Meanwhile at Taronga Zoo in Sydney earlier today:

Updated

For anyone mad enough to contemplate a swim today, Sydney Water recommended residents of the city avoid swimming at all beaches due to possible stormwater and wastewater pollution.

The extreme weather conditions on Tuesday saw an “extremely rare power outage” at the North Head wastewater treatment plant in the morning, which serves nearly one million customers.

While power was restored at 11am on Tuesday following a two hour outage, due to the “unprecedented volume of stormwater” entering the sewer system about 40m litres of partially treated wastewater entered the ocean off the cliff face at North Head.

This incident does not impact on the city’s drinking water system.

Further updates for beach closures and when it might be safe to go swimming again can be seen at Beachwatch.

Updated

According to the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) the maximum temperature in Sydney on Tuesday was 15.4C, making it the coldest April day since 1983.

It may rarely get so cold so early, but rain at this time of the year is more common: this graph supplied by my colleague Nick Evershed shows April is traditionally the wettest month in Sydney.

The BOM also show that the Paterson River, located in the Hunter and mid-north coast regions of New South Wales, hit a record 16m at 2pm on Tuesday, causing major flooding.

Residents of Dungog have been advised by police to leave the township.

There have already been three confirmed deaths and a dozen rooftop rescues after severe flooding hit the 2,000-person town, north of Newcastle, early on Tuesday.

The town’s high school is currently being used as an evacuation centre, but police have advised residents of the town and the surrounding shire to evacuate.

Anyone leaving is urged to take important documents and mementos, spare clothing, medicine, sleeping gear and pets – and to help neighbours where safe and possible.

The storm is now intensifying over Newcastle, with state emergency services texting residents one hour ago to “expect rapid rise and high velocity flash flooding in local creeks and watercourses”.

Updated

As the storm intensifies across parts of New South Wales, we continue to witness the fury being unleashed on towns and suburbs, including pulling down signs, trees and rooftops.

In the inner-city Sydney suburb of Redfern the Aboriginal Tent Embassy has reported flooding and sent out a call on Facebook asking for “tarps and tents”.

Earlier in the morning a white hatchback was crushed after a large tree fell:

Updated

The state emergency service for New South Wales has sent a tweet advising residents in Newcastle to “expect rapid rises and flash flooding in the next few hours”.

The wild weather is currently sitting near the boundary of the Hunter and mid-north coast regions and is moving slowly south throughout the afternoon.

The SES have now responded to over 4,500 calls and completed 47 flood rescues since weather conditions worsened Monday morning. Over half of these calls have come from Sydney, with 1,500 from the Hunter region, and almost 200 from the Illawarra south coast.

In the town of Rutherford, in the Hunter region, police assisted with the evacuation of 40 children and staff at an early learning centre.

Updated

This is what the intense low pressure system currently thrashing northern New South Wales looks like from space:

Meanwhile on earth we’re experiencing turbulent foamy oceans, fallen trees and missing goats:

Summary

As storms rage across the Hunter region, Sydney and Central Coast they are expected to intensify before easing around midnight, with Newcastle and the Central Coast copping the most severe weather. Here is the damage and warnings so far:

  • Three people are dead after reportedly being trapped in a flooded house in the small town of Dungog, north of Newcastle.
  • More than 20 people have been rescued from floodwaters with some airlifted from roofs in the Hunter region.
  • Premier Mike Baird has urged people to leave work early if they can in the regions from Illawarra to the Hunter, and get home before it gets dark.
  • 45 schools closed on Tuesday and it is expected they will be closed on Wednesday.
  • Emergency services minister David Elliott said it was a “once-in-a-decade” storm and SES worker are receiving an average of just under 200 call outs an hour.
  • There have been wind gusts of 100km/h and 300mm of rain has fallen on some areas in the past 24 hours.
  • 200,000 homes and businesses have lost power.

Storms are intensifying in Sydney after a day cleaning up from last night’s storms.

Joggers struggle against sand whipped up by strong winds at Bondi Beach in Sydney
Joggers struggle against sand whipped up by strong winds at Bondi Beach in Sydney Photograph: Peter Parks/AFP/Getty Images
Bondi beach is battered by wild weather. Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images
Bondi beach is battered by wild weather. Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images Photograph: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images
A loader moves tons of sand pushed by strong winds and rain onto a coastal road in Sydney’s beachside suburb of Cronulla. REUTERS/Jason Reed
A loader moves tons of sand pushed by strong winds and rain onto a coastal road in Sydney’s beachside suburb of Cronulla. REUTERS/Jason Reed Photograph: Jason Reed/REUTERS

Updated

Which areas will be affected by severe storms and when

There are currently severe weather warnings for Sydney, the Illawarra, the Hunter region and the Central Coast.

From 2pm onwards there will be damaging winds, heavy rain and damaging surf from Illawarra through Sydney to the Hunter Valley.

There is also a separate dangerous storm warning for Newcastle and the Central Coast as a line of storms moves very slowly southwards across the region. Winds everywhere are expected to intensify in the evening, but will be particularly severe in Newcastle and the Central Coast.

The storms are expected to weaken by midnight and the line of storms moving south will be mostly rain by the time they reach Sydney.

“Please take the opportunity to get home as quickly and as safely as you can,” premier of New South Wales Mike Baird has advised all of those affected by severe weather across the state.

Officials are urging people to get home before dark and that employers be flexible with employees leaving work early.

Two hundred and fifty traffic lights are out across the state and a number of rail lines and major road closures, including:

  • Hunter expressway is closed between One Country Drive and New England highway in the Hunter due to flooding
  • A section of the Pacific highway near Calga is closed due to a fallen tree
  • Princes highway is closed at Sydenham
  • Wakehurst parkway is closed at north Narrabeen due to flooding
  • Oxford Falls road is closed
  • Audley weir is closed
  • The rail line remains closed between Woy Woy and Hamilton due to power issues
  • The Hunter line is closed due to flooding
  • South coastline is partially closed between Oak Flats and Kiana, with buses replacing services
  • Passengers travelling from the city on the T1 North Shore are advised to allow additional travel time after a fallen tree
  • No ferry services are in operations

Updated

The 2,000-person town of Dungog, north of Newcastle, has already experienced three fatalities, with several homes washed away. But New South Wales premier Mike Baird advised “the weather could get more severe” for the region between now and midnight at a press conference at 1pm on Tuesday.

Baird said an evacuation centre has been setup in the town. Rescue efforts have been hampered by power cuts and areas in which mobile networks are struggling with the volumes of calls. “Some of the areas are remote and cut off but we are doing everything possible to provide support on the ground.”

Baird said the weather cell is expected to continue moving south from the Hunter region down towards Sydney, and that there could be an increase in winds. At the moment winds were seeing peaks up to 100km/h averaging across the state, he said.

Updated

The state emergency service have given important safety advice to all those caught in a storm that’s being described as “once in a decade”:

  • If there is floodwater, do not enter it
  • Limit all non-essential travel
  • If you are able to avoid crossing a road, do so
  • Employers should be flexible with their employees this afternoon and allow people to get home before dark
  • Those who are commuting and also dependent on roads this afternoon should check relevant websites such as livetraffic.com and Sydney Trains
  • If you are unable to access the internet, call 132 701 for traffic updates or 131 500 for public transport services
  • If you are in a life-threatening situation, please call 000. If the matter is not life-threatening please call the SES hotline on 132500

Updated

'Once in a decade storm', says minister for emergency services

The weather is set to worsen between now and midnight, according to New South Wales premier Mike Baird, who was speaking from a press conference in Sydney.

Baird said the warning was particularly important for those located in the Hunter and Central Coast regions, which have already been hit by more than 24 hours of severe weather.

Baird said restoring power to the 200,000 homes currently without service has become the highest priority.

Meanwhile the minister for police and emergency services, David Elliott, called the severe weather event, which has already claimed three lives, “a once in a decade storm, the likes of which we haven’t seen since 2007”.

“Today’s events are going to test our emergency services but they are there to be tested. We have seen, as the premier said, 4,500 responses thus far,” said Elliot.

“We certainly need the people of New South Wales to take care when they’re deciding whether or not to go home this afternoon and making sure they are going home in the daylight hours if at all possible.

“Like any other operation, as soon as the sun sets and we are fighting with night-time, this does make any rescue operation a little more difficult.”

Updated

Extraordinary footage of a house floating down the turbulent waters of Lake Macquarie has been posted on the Newcastle Herald website.

The paper also interviewed Tianna Brien, a local from Toronto, just south of Newcastle, who said she had seen the house float past as she drank her morning coffee on Tuesday at about 6.30am.

I thought it was a boat or something. It just looks like half a house.

The floating house travelled below the Main Road bridge before coming to rest “a fair way” along in Fennell Bay, where it was secured, according to the paper.

Updated

Police confirm three dead in Dungog due to storm

Three people have died in Dungog, a town north of Newcastle, following severe weather conditions.

The town is located in the Hunter region, one of the hardest hit areas in New South Wales, with reports of damage to major roads and homes.

The circumstances surrounding the three deaths are still to be determined.

Updated

For many students across New South Wales this was the first week of a new term. But children from more than 100 schools woke up on Tuesday to discover that they would be staying home for the day, as wild winds and torrential rain continued to pummel parts of the state.

The state education department has said more than 100 schools, mainly in the hard-hit Hunter region, have temporarily closed. Some Sydney metropolitan and Illawarra schools have been also affected.

Updated

Three dead in Dungog, reports local paper

Dungog Chronicle is reporting three elderly people are dead due to flooding, as severe weather continues in the area. Four homes were washed away in the town, which is north of Newcastle.

According to the paper:

Two men and one woman were trapped in their residences as flood water surged through the town in the early hours of Tuesday. Emergency services could not save them.

There is no power, no mobile service and a number of roads and bridges have been washed away in the Dungog district.

It is understood the SES also rescued a couple in their 70s as they dangled from their gutters. A younger couple was rescued from their house roof.

Updated

A passenger on Carnival Spirit, the cruise ship unable to get into Sydney harbour because of the swell, has posted footage of conditions on the ship.

Passengers have also been speaking to radio stations, with one telling the ABC “it’s not pleasant, it’s been like this all night”.

Another, identified as Debbie from Cherrybrook, said: “I don’t think many people got much sleep.”

Updated

Six people reportedly suffering from hypothermia are being rescued from a flooded house by fire officers in the Hunter Valley.

Video: home washed away by floods

Extraordinary scenes purportedly from Dungog, north of Newcastle: a home literally pulled from its foundations by floodwaters. About 312mm of rain have fallen in the town in the past 24 hours.

House washed away in storms

Updated

The winds and rain are continuing and more images are coming in showing the damage and strength of the storms across Sydney, the Hunter region and Central Coast.

A man held by strong winds poses at Bondi beach.
A man poses as if held by strong winds at Bondi Beach. Photograph: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images
People walk in the CBD with umbrellas on April 21. Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images
People in the CBD with umbrellas on Tuesday. Photograph: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images
Workers clear fallen trees off a road in Bondi. Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images
Workers clear fallen trees off a road in Bondi. Photograph: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images
A broken umbrella is abandoned in the CBD. Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images
A broken umbrella is abandoned in the CBD. Photograph: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images

Updated

The University of Newcastle has closed for the day because of the severe storms and students who live on campus are being prepped to leave in case the weather gets any worse.

Newcastle has two severe storm warnings and the Bureau of Meteorology is warning a “very dangerous” line of storms is heading for the region.

Meanwhile, in Sydney a cruise ship is stuck outside Sydney Heads because the swell in the harbour is too big for it to enter, AAP reports.

Passengers on the cruise ship were due to disembark this morning but may be stuck at sea for the next two days.

Port Authority of NSW has closed Sydney harbour for commercial shipping.
Ferries have also been affected with the Manly to Circular Quay service suspended. The privately run Manly fast ferry may also be suspended.
Ferries on Parramatta River are starting and terminating at Meadowbank due to severe tides at Rydalmere and overflowing at Parramatta weir.

Updated

South of Sydney has also been suffering and the Audley weir in the Royal national park is overflowing. A weather bloganista has very kindly sent through footage. Thank you to Peter Baxter for filming and Cindy Baxter for linking me up.

Flooding over Audley weir, Royal national park. Video: Pete Baxter

Updated

Woman in critical condition as 20 people rescued from flood waters

An elderly couple reported missing in the storms in Stroud, north of Newcastle, have been found and the woman is in a critical condition in hospital.

The SES deputy commissioner, Steven Pearce, has told Seven news the couple are in hospital and AAP is reporting the woman may have suffered a heart attack.

The couple are among about 20 people who have been rescued from floodwaters; 10 were airlifted from rooftops.

We have other rescues on at the moment and in some of those situations we hold grave concerns for those persons,” Pearce said.

Updated

The Hunter region and Newcastle have experienced some of the worst of the storms with flooding, smashed-up boats and roofs blown off.

Updated

"Very dangerous" line of storms heading for Hunter

Another severe storm warning has been issued for the Hunter region including Maitland, Cessnock, Raymond Terrace and Nelson Bay.

A “very dangerous line of thunderstorms” extends from about Nelsons Bay to Cessnock, according to the latest warning issued by Bureau of Meteorology.

The line is moving only very slowly southwards and is producing very heavy rainfall that may lead to flash-flooding over the next several hours.

Maitland, Cessnock, Raymond Terrace, and Nelson Bay are in the path of the storms.

A separate broader severe weather warning remains current for the Hunter, Sydney metropolitan and Illawarra districts.

Updated

This is the rain radar within the 128km vicinity of Sydney. The wind and rough conditions are likely to ease tomorrow but the rain won’t clear until late Thursday.

Sydney rain radar

Updated

Well, it seems we all shouldn’t be so shocked by the inclement weather. According to this nifty graph supplied by my colleague Nick Evershed, April is traditionally the wettest month in Sydney.

Graph showing average Sydney rainfall

Bondi beach has been closed because of dangerous surf and the winds are so strong sand is blowing inland. My colleague Nikki Marshall took this footage and photos.

Bondi beach on Tuesday

Updated

No children on board bus swept off road

The SES was called out to a school bus trapped in floodwater in Stroud this morning. The bus was swept off the road but thankfully did not have any children on board. The driver has been winched to safety, 2GB reports.

Updated

A glance at the State Emergency Service callout log gives an idea of the extent of damage done by storms in Sydney and the Hunter region.

The NSW SES has been called out 3,136 times in 24 hours, according to its morning update which you can read here.

Some of the damage includes:

  • People trapped in their house after a tree came through the roof in Lake Macquarie
  • Half the roof blown off a Cessnock City unit
  • Roof blown off a Lake Macquarie unit
  • Double-storey window weighing 1/2 tonne came loose in Newcastle
  • A tree fell through the roof of a nursing home in Wyong

Updated

In these trying weather times I think it is important we all remember to “keep a reasonably slow walking pace and don’t turn sharply”.

Truly. That is part of the stellar advice at Stanford University for when wet weather strikes. A lovely tweeter, @NerdNeuro, has passed the advice along.

It includes:

  • Keep a reasonably slow walking pace and don’t turn sharply
  • When walking ... keep your hands as free as possible to help you maintain balance
  • Wipe your shoes on a doormat to avoid tracking wetness into the building

Updated

Bondi beach is closed today with the storm creating very dangerous conditions in the surf. My colleague Nikki Marshall took this photo in Bondi:

Storm damage in Bondi, Sydney.
Storm damage in Bondi, Sydney. Photograph: Nikki Marshall for the Guardian

Trees have fallen on cars in Darling Point road:

Storm damage in Darling Point Road, Darling Point, 21 April 2015
Storm damage in Darling Point Road, Darling Point. Photograph: Catherine Jensen

At Westfield in Bondi Junction the car park has had a bit of water. Some might call it flooding; others might call it puddles. As ever, I will let the reader decide.

Leaves are being cleared from bike paths.

Updated

Photos of the storm damage have been flooding in. We don’t know weather or not it will start clearing tomorrow or Thursday but hopefully the rain of terror will be done by the weekend. (Feel free to join the pun fun.)

Over at Darling Point Road:

As the rain comes down, umbrellas go up, and then, inevitably, away.

Updated

The number of homes which have lost electricity has doubled since this morning, says Ausgrid.

The power company has confirmed 180,000 homes are without electricity in the Sydney, Central Coast and the Hunter region, up from 100,000 earlier this morning.

Updated

Reports school bus trapped in flood water

Reports are coming in of a school bus trapped in floodwater in Stroud, north of Newcastle. Two people are also missing in the area after driving into floodwaters overnight.

NSW SES has confirmed it is responding to calls about the school bus and has repeated warnings not to attempt to drive through flooded roads.

Updated

The Bureau of Meteorology says more than 300mm of rain has fallen in some areas in the past 24 hours.

Dungog, in the upper Hunter, had 312mm; Crawford, which is just north of Newcastle, recorded 259mm; 171mm was recorded in the Sydney suburb of Wahroonga.

Destructive winds averaging up to 100km/h with peak gusts of 135km/h are forecast for parts of the Hunter, and Sydney could have winds of up to 70km/h. Last night Sydney airport recorded gusts of 100km/h.

Updated

Newcastle really copped a beating from the storms last night. We have pictures of the damage coming through this morning, and people are being told to stay home.

Updated

This morning we are greeted with gale-force winds, thousands of homes without power and the news that conditions are not going to ease across Sydney and the Hunter region until Wednesday.

The SES deputy commissioner, Steven Pearce, has warned people to stay off the roads because of flash- flooding “everywhere” across Sydney and surrounding areas.

We’ve had 24 hours of relentless gale-force winds. I haven’t seen this wind damage for years,” he said.

We are going to steer well clear of weather reporting cliches, such as “the rain is not dampening spirits”, but stay with us through the morning for updates on conditions, road closures and storm damage.

Updated

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