Severe thunderstorms and a band of heavy rain have caused flash flooding in Sydney and brought at least two tornadoes to regional New South Wales. The State Emergency Service (SES) received more than 850 calls for assistance in a 50-minute period on Wednesday evening, with crews responding to around 600 incidents.
A light rail vehicle became stranded on Anzac Parade in Randwick, prompting the rescue of 20 to 30 passengers. An elderly passenger was ferried across floodwaters using an Ark Angel raft. The SES also assisted about 10 passengers from a bus that encountered difficulties in the heavy rain.
Two tornadoes touched down on Wednesday afternoon—one near Young in the state's south-west, and another near Caragabal, approximately 400km west of Sydney. Tornadoes are relatively rare in NSW, according to the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM), which noted that Australia experiences an average of 60 to 80 tornadoes each year, many in sparsely populated areas.
Record-breaking rainfall was recorded across several Sydney suburbs in the 24 hours to Thursday morning. Observatory Hill in Sydney recorded 122mm of rain, the second highest September daily rainfall on record, just shy of the 144.5mm record set in 1879. The highest fall was 181mm at Greenwell Point, south of Wollongong.
Multiple severe weather warnings remain in place, including for damaging winds and hazardous surf. Wind gusts of up to 100km/h were recorded at Wattamolla, south of Sydney, where a group of hikers were rescued. The SES is monitoring for minor flooding along several rivers, which could lead to local road closures.
Conditions are expected to ease on Thursday, but damaging winds and large waves may persist into Friday. NSW Police marine area command has advised people to avoid swimming and walking near surf-exposed areas due to hazardous conditions.
