Three women have been hit by lightning in Bowral and hail battered parts of Sydney as severe storms again hit New South Wales on Saturday.
The women, aged in their 60s, were taken to hospital, one with serious burns, the ABC reported.
The Bureau of Meteorology had warned of “severe thunderstorms” in large parts of the state, including Sydney, Newcastle, Illawarra, the Hunter, the south coast and the southern highlands.
Hornsby, in Sydney’s north-west, was hit hard early by the storm, with golf ball-sized hailstones landing just after 4pm.
Bureau forecaster Adam Morgan called it “a very dangerous storm”. He said the bureau had received reports of golf ball and potentially even cricket ball-sized hail around Hornsby and Thornleigh, as well as Bowral.
Wild weather in Sydney. Summer's Day just turned into golf-ball sized hail! #storm #sydney #hail pic.twitter.com/14bQLLkEg3
— Mark Bilton (@MarkBilton) February 18, 2017
Morgan added there was the potential for destructive wind gusts of more than 120km/h, large hail and heavy rainfall across Sydney and parts of the state.
“We’re still expecting thunderstorms for the remainder of the afternoon,” he said. “We could see some widespread activity over northeast of the state.”
On Friday afternoon, sudden electrical storms battered areas of Sydney and the state’s central coast region with hail and heavy rain.
A man was taken to hospital after receiving a shock from a lightning strike at Rouse Hill, in Sydney’s northwest.
An NSW Ambulance spokeswoman told AAP the 36-year-old had touched material the lightning was passing through at what was thought to be a construction site.
He was taken to Blacktown hospital in a stable condition.
Residents in the western and southern areas bore the brunt of the system, which pelted Penrith with hailstones and whipped Horsley Park with wind gusts of up to 94km/h.
Storm timelapse from the Bureau Forecasting Centre in Sydney this afternoon #SydneyStorms #NSW pic.twitter.com/VhfROEPwIP
— BOM New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) February 17, 2017
The Penrith Panthers posted an image of their NRL field covered in hail, while in the city, dramatic news footage showed a lightning strike near the Harbour Bridge.
#BattleOfTheWest - A Song Of Fire And Ice 🔥❄️ pic.twitter.com/XSwhyLcLDI
— Penrith Panthers (@PenrithPanthers) February 17, 2017
The Bureau of Meteorology also received reports of hail on the Northern Beaches, including at Newport.
The systems dumped heavy rain, catching commuters off guard. The highest rainfall was recorded at Mona Vale, where 46mm fell.
Harris St right now #storm pic.twitter.com/FibNIxIqWX
— Judith Whelan (@whelan60) February 17, 2017
We appreciate delays are frustrating, but safety is our foremost priority. Thanks for your ongoing patience while we ride this storm out! ⛈ pic.twitter.com/SvajLXqEUF
— Sydney Airport ✈️ (@SydneyAirport) February 17, 2017
Flights in and out of Sydney airport were delayed, while State Emergency Services received 625 calls for assistance.
About 40,000 customers across the central coast and in Sydney were left without power, according to Ausgrid, which responded to more than 400 hazards including fallen trees and damaged power lines during the storm.
About 10,000 homes remained without power on Saturday morning as emergency repairs continued into the weekend.
Fronts would continue to sweep through NSW, the Bureau of Meteorology warned, bringing thunderstorms and showers.
Severe storms were likely over north-east, north-west and central areas of the state, including Penrith, Hunter, Moree, Tamworth, Armidale and the Blue Mountains.
There was the chance of a “possibly severe” thunderstorm in Sydney in the afternoon and evening.
