Around 66 millimetres of rain fell over parts of Cessnock in just two hours Monday afternoon as severe storms moved from inland parts of the state to bear down on Newcastle and the NSW coast.
Sydney was battered by wild weather and strong winds, as SES crews in Newcastle were called to assist residents with leaking roofs and fallen branches near homes, but forecasters for the Bureau of Meteorology said the weather had lost some intensity by the time it reached Newcastle.
SES unit commander Ian Robinson anticipated the possibility of further callouts as the evening progressed, but said reports had been mercifully few as the weather settled after a heavy downpour just before 6pm.
Residents were urged to avoid fallen powerlines and branches, to refrain from sheltering under large trees, and to move vehicles under cover where possible.
The storms produced heavy showers across the suburbs, and the potential for extended rainfall into the evening, but the threat of damaging winds and possible hail remained, for the most part, a possibility as the system moved out to sea.
Forecasters said there had not been any reports of hail in the warning area, which included the Hunter, Central Coast and Illawarra regions among other parts of the state, but added that strong winds and heavy rainfall could bring further damage overnight.
Showers and possible storms were expected to linger in the forecast for the week ahead, with the chance of up to 10 millimetres on Wednesday and maximums in the mid-20s.
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