Extra crews have been called in to help. More than 250 electrical hazards had been reported since the storm hit. The State Emergency Services (SES) received 509 calls. Most of the calls were for damage to roofs and trees that had fallen across houses and roads. Many people have been rescued from floodwaters. Guildford copped 61 millimetres of rain, including 47mm in just 30 minutes while Sydney Olympic Park received 40mm in the 40 minutes to 7pm. 50mm fell at West Pennant Hills, 40mm at Peakhurst and 36mm at Chatswood. Several roads, including Parramatta Road in Granville and Bexley Road in Bexley North, are closed due to flash flooding. Fallen trees caused road closures in Cherrybrook and Galston Gorge.
A severe thunderstorm warning for heavy rain, damaging winds and large hailstones remains in place for the Hunter but has been lifted for Sydney and Wollongong. Those travelling out of Sydney Airport are experiencing delays of up to 60 minutes. Train services have also been affected by the wild weather. The NSW Rural Fire Service warned that the strong winds would increase fire risk across parts of the state over the weekend, forecasting “very high fire danger”.
