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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Bridie Jabour and Elle Hunt

Severe thunderstorms in Sydney after tornado warning - as it happened

Tornado batters Sydney as wind speeds reach more than 200km/h

Summary

  • Bom cancelled its thunderstorm warning for metropolitan Sydney just before 4pm
  • Its latest update shows the storm to now be moving towards the ACT and Hunter and Tablelands districts, and is forecast to bring those regions the kind of flash flooding, heavy rainfall, and hail that Sydney experienced earlier today
  • Destructive winds may affect Port Macquarie, Taree, Newcastle, Gosford, Armidale, Orange, Tamworth and Dubbo
  • Severe thunderstorms may affect Canberra, Cooma, Yass, Bredbo, Adaminaby and Tumut
  • Bom’s next warning will be issued by 6:50pm
  • It is continuing to keep a close eye on the weather in Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong and surrounding areas
  • The strongest wind recorded was in Kurnell around 10:30am, with gusts of 213km/hr – associated with a possible tornado
  • Kurnell was the worst-affected region by far, with damage to residential and business properties and some injuries reported
  • Gusts of more than 100km/hr were recorded in several parts of Sydney over the course of the day
  • 140mm of rain was recorded in the 50 minutes to 10:30am at Island Point road, just south of Jervis Bay
  • Hail the size of golfballs was reported at Cronulla at around the same time

Metropolitan warning cancelled but no joy for the non-Sydneysiders

Bom’s just released its most recent update, with the storm warning for metropolitan Sydney cancelled.

The storm’s now moving up towards the ACT and the Hunter and Tablelands districts, bringing those regions their share of flash floods and hail.

We’ll start wrapping up our coverage shortly.

Footage shot by Andrew McGregor in Kurnell shows debris flying through the air, while the storm’s advance on Sydney harbour can be seen in a timelapse.

Sydney commuters can expect a difficult trip home.

Updated

Bom’s latest outlook still warns of severe thunderstorms, now bound for Lake Macquarie and, later, Newcastle City. Large hailstones, very heavy rainfall and damaging winds are still likely.

More from AAP on Kurnell:

The desalination plant in Kurnell was evacuated after reportedly sustaining significant damage and workers were also cleared out of the Caltex refinery as a safety precaution.

The main road to Kurnell, Captain Cook Drive, is closed.

Two trucks were blown over by the wind on Chisholm Rd but nobody was injured.

Kurnell local Melanie Bowman said tiles had come off her roof and powerlines were down.

“I can see the sky from our garage... I can see lots of parts of roofs in the street,” she said.

“It felt just like a cyclone with hail and high winds.

“My husband has left to come home from work and he can’t actually get out here.”

The SES has received more than 417 requests for help with 31 volunteer team working in the Kurnell and Illawarra areas with reports of damage to infrastructure, power lines, trees and roofs.

Ausgrid crews are in Kurnell inspecting damage to the electricity network but tweeted that restoring the network will take time depending on the scale of damage.

Sutherland Shire council advised residents via its website that rubbish collection services have been cancelled until Thursday.

NSW fire crews are on the scene at the Bondi Junction shopping centre where water has poured in after a roof collapsed.

Bondi Pizza waiter Michael Seeff says people started shouting “the roof has collapsed” and some customers ran out before paying the bill.

“Water was coming down the sides of the walls and onto the floor,” he told AAP.

Kurnell has been by far the worst hit in today’s storm.

“It is so very rare to get a tornado inside Sydney, much less a strong tornado,” a BOM spokesman said.

Gusts in Kurnell reached up to 213km/h. “That is the fastest speed that has been recorded in NSW history,” he said.

An evacuation centre for Kurnell residents has been set up at the Cronulla Leagues Club on Captain Cook Drive, in the Sutherland Shire.

Injuries are minimal but three ambulances have been sent to the Kurnell Public School as a precaution “in anticipation of a second storm”, an ambulance spokesman told AAP.

A 40-year-old man in Kurnell suffered head injuries after reports of storm damage to a building, a 38-year-old man was treated for shock and another patient was treated for an unspecified conditio.

A 75-year-old woman received cuts to her leg, while a man was struck by debris and an elderly man was treated for anxiety.

All patients have been taken to Sutherland Hospital in a stable condition.

The Westpac Life Saver rescue helicopter has recorded images over Kurnell showing major structural damage to homes.

The NSW Rural Fire Service surveys damage from the thunderstorm in Kurnell on December 16.

Updated

The Public Information and Inquiry Centre has been opened to support the current severe weather response in New South Wales.

Members of the public can reach it on 1800 227 228 regarding information on the flood and storm operation.

Additional information in relation to the warnings can be viewed on emergency.nsw.gov.au.

The inquiry hotline does not replace any emergency numbers.

Striking scenes from Bondi. That top tweeted video appears to show part of the roof collapsing at Westfield Bondi Junction.

Of course, life goes on:

There’s some sizeable hail out there.

Severe thunderstorms after tornado warning

  • Severe thunderstorms have been wreaking havoc across Sydney, with flash flooding, golfball-sized hail, and winds in excess of 200km/hr
  • A tornado warning was issued but downgraded in the early afternoon as the most destructive winds moved offshore
  • The wind peaked with 213 km/hr gusts – a likely tornado – at about 10:30am in Kurnell, which caused significant damage and some buildings to be evacuated
  • The Westfield Bondi Junction shopping centre was evacuated after part of the roof collapsed
  • Thunderstorm warnings were until recently in place for people in parts of the Blue Mountains, Newcastle, Sydney and Gosford areas
  • Bom reports that bad weather in the warning area have temporarily eased, but further storms are still possible
  • The storm was thought to be moving towards the northeast, and forecast to reach Wollombi in the next half-hour
  • The State Emergency Service has advised people to stay indoors if possible

Severe thunderstorms are currently underway near Sydney City, Sydney Airport, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Wollemi National Park north of Kurrajong and Dooralong.

The thunderstorms are moving towards the northeast, and are forecast to hit Manly, Terrey Hills and waters off Bondi Beach in about 20 minutes’ time. By 3pm, they’ll be at Mona Vale, Palm Beach and Wollombi.

BOM is still forecasting destructive winds, large hailstones and very heavy rainfall, with the possibility of flash flooding.

The destructive winds, peaking at 213 km/h, associated with the possible tornado that hit Kurnell at 10:30am have now moved well offshore.

Meanwhile, NSW Police have suggested we all go home early.

Surge pricing for Uber in Sydney CBD is 1.3x the normal fare.

And the latest advice for Kurnell residents.

There is obvious evidence that we have had a tornado go through Cronulla today,” Bureau of Meteorologist Alan Sharp said.

Updated

The latest from Fire and Rescue NSW

Nominative determinism in Flood Street:

More from The Guardian’s Patrick Keneally:

Updated

Gabrielle Jackson has an update from Westfield at Bondi Junction:

I didn’t see anyone injured. There is now chaos in the car park. It was only a section of the roof in the restaurant precinct but water was streaming out from either side of the sprinklers onto escalators and inside restaurant and we were saying how dangerous it looked when a massive section of plasterboard roof fell from the 3rd floor to the ground. A section hit one woman at the top of the escalator but she was ok. An ambulance has arrived.

Updated

The Guardian’s intrepid Patrick Keneally shot this at home. Heaviest rain he’s seen in Bondi.

Updated

The storm front from the air. Flights diverted to Melbourne...

Hailing now here at Guardian Australia HQ in Surry Hills. We are sending Jonny out to get photos. Have offered bike helmet.

The streets outside our office are fast getting waterlogged.
The streets outside our office are fast getting waterlogged. Photograph: Jonny Weeks for the Guardian
Those ponchos look like they aren’t cut out for this level of rain.
Those ponchos look like they aren’t cut out for this level of rain. Photograph: Jonny Weeks for the Guardian

Updated

From a (damp) shopper at Westfield in Bondi (Bondi is copping it by the sounds of it, lots of reports of hail).

The Guardian’s Gabrielle Jackson reports a part of the roof at Westfield Bondi Junction has collapsed. The shopping centre is being evacuated.

Updated

Serious damage to homes in Kurnell...

Providing a real-time soundtrack to our BoM-watching, a menacing rumble was heard outside The Guardian windows (we have several - for the moment) as we watched this. ‘Activity’ is perhaps too benign...

NSW Incident Alerts are warning of “round two” for Sydney, with more destructive winds, heavy rainfall and large hailstones on the way. Sutherland and Hurtsville are expected to be impacted in the next ten minutes and Sydney Airport around 1.40pm.

The most recent Bom update detailed severe thunderstorm warning issued at 1.10pm said that thunderstorms moving towards the northeast were forecast to affect the city, Sydney Airport and the waters off Bondi Beach by 1.35pm and Sydney Olympic Park, the Harbour Bridge and Wyong by 2.05pm.

There’s also a warning in place for the Blue Mountains/Hawkesbury, Greater Newcastle and Gosford/Wyong areas.

A more general severe thunderstorm warning is also current for the Hunter, Metropolitan, Illawarra, Central Tablelands and parts of the Mid North Coast, Southern Tablelands, North West Slopes and Plains and Northern Tablelands districts.

There will be another Bom update in an hour’s time.

Updated

Significant damage and likely tornado in 'disaster zone' Kurnell

Motorists are being advised to avoid Kurnell as emergency services assess the damage caused by a severe storm.

Between approximately 300 and 400 emergency service workers – including Fire and Rescue NSW, NSW Police, NSW Ambulance, NSW Rural Fire Service and NSW State Emergency Service – are currently assisting in the area.

A Westpac Life Saver Helicopter is surveying the damage from the air.

Only emergency services are being let onto Captain Cook Drive at Elouera Road, which is closed in both directions to other vehicles.

A tornado is likely to have swept through the area at around 10:30am, when a wind guest of 213 km/h was reported.

A number of residents, particularly around Bridges Street, have been evacuated after roofs were ripped from homes. One home is reported to have collapsed, though no people were trapped.

Reports of a fire at the Sydney Desalination Plant on Sir Joseph Banks Drive have been disproved, but it has been evacuated, with damage to windows and panelling and significant flooding inside. Its structural integrity cannot be confirmed.

Emergency services are on the scene, with one patient with a head injury, another with injuries to his arm, and a third in shock.

Kurnell Community Sport and Recreation Club, close to the Desalination Plant, has also been evacuated. Fire and Rescue NSW HAZMAT crews are enroute.

At least two vehicles, including a Rural Fire Service support vehicle, have been reported to have tipped onto their sides, while roof sheeting from over 30 industrial units was ripped off in the high winds.

Some power lines are down in the area, some of which have not been turned off by Ausgrid, and emergency services are urging residents to stay indoors.

Fire and Rescue NSW are beginning to door knock throughout the area to assess damage. If you require assistance, call 132 500 for storm damage and 000 for emergencies.

Updated

A second wave of wind and strong rain has hit Bundeena, 29km south of the CBD.

The weather event that caused considerable damage in Kurnell is thought to be a likely tornado.

This video posted to Instagram shows swirling debris in the air in Kurnell, around the same time.

A caller to 702 ABC Sydney described the storm in Kurnell as “like one of those shows you watch on pay TV about chasing storms”. He reported seeing a trampoline flying through the air about 70m “out of the blue”, and tiles knocked off the wall of his bathroom.

While it’s fairly bog-standard bad weather in Sydney CBD right now, the storm is rolling into Katoomba, with Twitter user Craig Andrew Batty reporting “rain and lots of rolling thunder”. You can watch the latest loop of BOM’s radar here.

But the Bom has confirmed that very destructive winds associated with a possible tornado have moved offshore from Bondi Beach, out to sea.. The risk of a tornado has subsided, though thunderstorms are forecast for the rest of the day.

There’s no conclusive evidence of a tornado having occurred, though there was certainly very destructive weather, especially in Kurnell. NSW Incident Alerts posted this picture to Facebook of damage caused by “storms and a tornado”, though there’s as yet no record of the actual weather event itself.

Updated

Meanwhile, in Melbourne...

The forecast’s smug.

The schadenfreude is real.

Reporter Adam Marsters posted this video of a man bailing out his car in Chifley, a suburb in south-eastern Sydney 13km south-east of the CBD.

He told Guardian Australia that residents had had their vehicles flooded in the torrential rain of the storm, ruining numerous vehicles and engines.

Updated

Sydney-based photographer Tago Fabic has posted these timelapse videos of the Sydney storm to Vimeo.

The Bureau of Meteorology has updated its detailed severe thunderstorm warning, which now bills “DESTRUCTIVE WIND, LARGE HAILSTONES and HEAVY RAINFALL” (caps Bom’s own).

At 11:45am, severe thunderstorms were detected near Kiama, Shellharbour, the waters off Dee Why Beach and the northwest parts of the Wollondilly Shire. Those thunderstorms are now moving towards the northeast, and are forecast to affect Dapto, Pt Kemlba and Unanderra within the next five minutes.

In the next 35 minutes, they’re forecast to hit Woolongong, Katoomba and Bulli.

Destructive wind gusts of 213 km/h were reported at Kurnell at 10:33am, causing damage to properties in that area and one injury – thankfully not serious.

Gusts of 142 km/h were recorded at Molineaux Point (Botany Bay) this morning.

144 mm of rainfall was recorded in just one hour to 10:30am at Long Island Point, just south of Nowra.

Bom will issue another warning by 12:55pm.

Updated

One person injured

One person has been injured and Sydney’s Desalination Plant has been extensively damaged as it was battered by thunderstorms, AAP reports.

A severe storm cell passed over the Kurnell plant in southern Sydney on Wednesday morning, causing extensive damage to parts of the plant.

CEO Keith Davies said no workers were seriously hurt.

“Site operators were able to get into a safe place during the storm, and are in the process of making the site safe now,” Mr Davies told AAP.

“No-one has been seriously injured but one person has been taken to local hospital with minor injuries.”

Mr Davies said it was too early to determine the precise extent of the damage, or the repair bill.

He said it was an extraordinary event.

“Right now, people’s safety is coming first,” he said.

As much as 5mm of rainfall is forecast for Sydney today. But how does that compare with other weather events – from a light Melbourne drizzle to the torrential downpours caused by cyclone Yasi?

These visualisations map total rainfall over 24 hours to the frequency and size of raindrops, with the maximum wind speed in the same 24 hour period scaling the speed and angle of the raindrops, as well as the gust frequency.

Updated

Fire & Rescue NSW has reported that a balcony has collapsed and a roof is damaged in Maroubra.

The fire service is assisting the NSW Rural Fire Service and State Emergency Service to respond to storm-related call-outs in Kurnell, where trees and wires are reported to be down. 30 two-storey industrial units in Kurnell have had their roofs damaged in the storm. Fire service personnel are now door-knocking in the area.

A ceiling has collapsed at a chemist on Central Avenue in South Nowra. 39 people have been evacuated, but no injuries have been reported, and crews are working to make the scene safe.

The State Emergency Service reports it’s received more than 160 jobs across New South Wales this morning; the most affected areas have been Sutherland (65 jobs); St Georges Basin (39); and Randwick (30).

Updated

Batten down the hatches.

Guardian Australia reader Claire Milet sent this photograph of a crowd making their way to Sydney International Airport this morning.

We had to walk about a kilometre to get there as the traffic was gridlocked. There’s only one lane leading to parking or drop off. We almost missed our flight but let us on when I showed them this photo. Apparently there were 30 people on our flight alone who missed it. Disgraceful for an international airport.

We can’t say for sure what of this disruption was weather-related, but there have certainly significant traffic delays reported since the storm hit.

Sydney airport was closely monitoring the storm activity with passengers being advised to check flight details with their airlines, an airport spokeswoman told AAP.

Qantas has delayed some flights until the storm clears up, a Qantas spokesman said.

Updated

Emergency services are responding to multiple reports of building collapses, including business and residential properties, AAP has reported.

Crews are on the scene assessing the extent of the damage, a Fire & Rescue NSW spokeswoman said.

BOM issued a warning at 8am with severe thunderstorms expected to strike parts of Sydney, Nowra, Parramatta, Wollongong, Nowra and Bowral.

A BOM spokesman said the high wind conditions are dangerous and extremely unusual for Sydney.

“The most likely tornadoes are off the waters of Bondi, but further tornadoes can’t be ruled out on land,” he said.

Umbrellas and raincoats in central Sydney as the storm arrives.
Umbrellas and raincoats in central Sydney as the storm arrives. Photograph: Jonny Weeks for the Guardian
... not everyone saw this coming.
... not everyone saw this coming. Photograph: Jonny Weeks for the Guardian
Rising wind speeds as the storm moves through the CBD.
Rising wind speeds as the storm moves through the CBD. Photograph: Jonny Weeks for the Guardian
Fire engines race through the city, heading towards Paddington.
Fire engines race through the city, heading towards Paddington. Photograph: Jonny Weeks for the Guardian

Updated

If you’re due to fly out of Sydney today, allow plenty of time to get to the airport, with traffic said to be heavy on Marsh Street on Mascot. More than one Twitter user has reported “people getting out of cars and walking”.

Buses are delayed up to two hours through the suburb: “consider catching a train instead”, suggests the official Buses East Twitter account.

Multiple flights out of Sydney Airport have been cancelled because of the storm, and others have been diverted. Passengers are advised to check with their airline for details.

Though tornados in Australia are relatively rare, there was in fact a warning issued for Victoria in early November.

Around 10 to 20 are observed annually, but can form with almost any severe thunderstorm. At the interactive datablog below, you can see every tornado recorded in the Bureau of Meteorology’s severe storm database.

The NSW Bureau of Meteorology has posted severe thunderstorm and marine wind warnings for New South Wales.

It says “tornadoes, destructive winds, large hailstones and heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding at likely”.

The State Emergency Service has also published advice for Sydneysiders concerned about the storm:

  • Move your car under cover or away from trees.
  • Secure or put away loose items around your house, yard and balcony.
  • Keep clear of fallen power lines.
  • Keep clear of creeks and storm drains.
  • Don’t walk, ride your bike or drive through flood water.
  • If you are trapped by flash flooding, seek refuge in the highest available place and ring 000 if you need rescue.
  • Unplug computers and appliances.
  • Avoid using the phone during the storm.
  • Stay indoors away from windows, and keep children and pets indoors as well.

With the BOM due to issue another warning within the next 45 minutes, I’m going to throw caution to the (very high) winds and not unplug my computer.

For emergency help in floods and storms, you can ring the SES (NSW and ACT) on 132 500.

The webcam at North Bondi RSL, perhaps unsurprisingly, shows a deserted Bondi Beach.

Coogee Beach is the same.

Julian Ridden has posted this dramatic image from Hunters Hill, a suburb on Sydney’s North Shore, of the storm over the city to Twitter.

Updated

We’re hearing loud thunder from Guardian Australia’s offices in Surry Hills. My colleague Nick Evershed has filed a Vine of the scene outside, which he describes as “pretty underwhelming”. You be the judge!

Real-time weather reportage.

Workplaces across the city seem to have been brought to a standstill by the weather event.

Good morning Australia – I can confirm that it is raining heavily in the Sydney CBD, as we brace ourselves for potentially “very dangerous” developments.

My colleague Nick Evershed has been dispatched to the street to document the weather event, but while we await his return, Twitter is awash with footage.

Updated

The photos are starting to roll in:

You can find the full tornado warning issued by Bom here.

The latest missive has a tornado warning for Sydney with “very dangerous thunderstorms” detected near the airport and southern suburb of Maroubra. The thunderstorms are moving north meaning they will pass over Sydney City, Olympic Park, Sydney Harbour Bridge and off Bondi Beach.

It will move then move to the northern suburbs.

Tornadoes, very destructive winds, large hailstones and very heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding are likely.

There are wind gusts greater than 200 km/h reported in southern Sydney.

Tornadoes and severe thunderstorms are hitting Kurnell in the south of Sydney and are moving north, predicted to hit the Sydney CBD and Harbour Bridge in the next thirty minutes.

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