Sydney, the Blue Mountains and the NSW South Coast are cleaning up on Wednesday morning after large storms battered the state overnight. Here's a quick update on the situation:
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Sydney and surrounding areas.
- Up to 25,000 homes are without power this morning.
- As at 4am, the NSW SES had received 1230 requests for emergency help.
- Winds of up to 161km/h were received during the storm.
- 138 millimetres of rain fell on some parts of greater Sydney, while the South Coast received up to 170mm
- Snow hit the Blue Mountains
- A lightning bolt reportedly hit Sydney Tower in the CBD
Unsurprisingly, roads in and around Sydney are struggling this morning, as the city wakes up to find the extent of last night's storm damage. Here's a few of the most affected.
- Pittwater Road is flooded in Manly
- Two fallen trees are affecting traffic in both directions at Macquarie Pass on the Illawarra Highway.
- Oxford Falls West Rd is closed at Wakehurst Parkway due to flooding
- Canal Road at St Peters has 2 of 3 lanes closed due to flooding.
- A car accident at Chatswood is causing delays on the Pacific Highway
- Castlereagh Rd at Jane St, Penrith, is closed by flooding.
NSW regional roads.
- Snow and ice on the Bells Line of road at Lithgow.
- Damage to the Princes Hwy surface at Bega, near Newton Rd. Caution advised.
- Snow at Brush Creek, Kosciuszko Rd to Charlotte Pass.
- Carrathool Road and Gunbar Booligal Road are closed due to water over the roads.
- All unsealed roads in the Coonable shire are closed.
And now to the trains.
- The train line is cut between Katoomba and Lithgow, and there is no travel in either direction.
- Passengers travelling away from the city on the T3 Bankstown Line are advised to allow additional travel time due to urgent signal repairs at Marrickville.
- The 5.45am Newcastle to Central train is cancelled due to the train requiring mechanical repairs at Broadmeadow, additionally passengers travelling away from Central should allow additional travel time due to the inclement weather.
- The 5.50am Moss Vale to Campbelltown train has been cancelled on the Southern Highlands Line due to mechanical problems with the train at Moss Vale earlier. The 5:31am Goulburn to Campbelltown train will make additional stops between Moss Vale and Yerrinbool and a bus will operate as a replacement service between Yerrinbool and Campbelltown.
Here's the latest information on power outages.
In Sydney, Ausgrid is working to restore power to about 8000 homes and businesses this morning. Current outages include:
- Engadine
- Kurnell
- Punchbowl
- Petersham
- Lidcombe
- Freshwater
- Allambie Heights
Most places are expected to get power back this morning.
At the height of the storm, 13,000 Ausgrid homes were without power as trees came into powerlines and lightning hit electrical equipment.
Meanwhile, Endeavour Energy emergency crews are responding to widespread damage to the electricity network in the upper Blue Mountains, Southern Highlands and the Illawarra.
There are 14,600 customers without power, mainly in the Blue Mountains suburbs west of Blackheath through to Lithgow.
350 Arndell Park (Blacktown) and 1000 homes and businesses in the Southern Highlands suburbs of Bowral, Mittagong and Robertson are expected to have power restored throughout today after strong winds and torrential rain brought down power lines last night.
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There have been more than 1300 requests for assistance across the storm-affected areas, a spokesman for the State Emergency Service said. Volunteers will be heading out across Sydney over the next two hours to help with the clean up.
There have been 73 rescues from flooded areas, mostly from people trapped in cars and some people stranded in flooded properties. All rescues were successful.
No injuries have been reported.
Flash flooding hit across Sydney, surging around 2am on the back of the high tide. Some areas affected were Cooks River, low areas around Alexandria and Zetland and along the Captain Cook Drive near Taren Point.
Snow has turned to rain in the Blue Mountains, the SES spokesman said, with most of the overnight snowfall beginning to melt.
Send us your photos of the storm damage to kim.treasure@fairfaxmedia.com.au
