Sydney is experiencing severe weather conditions following its hottest day of the year, which peaked at 40.7 degrees Celsius. The dramatic temperature increase led to chaotic scenes as severe thunderstorms swept through the city on Tuesday afternoon, bringing heavy downpours, hail, and gale-force winds.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) reported winds starting to rattle through the Central Business District (CBD) around 3 PM, with hailstones beginning to fall shortly after. Just hours prior, Sydney Airport recorded its peak temperature of 40.7C, which plummeted to 23.9C within just three hours as the storms rolled in.
Areas including Penrith and Bankstown also saw temperatures soar past the 40C mark before being hit by the cooling southerly change. This shift was described as severe by meteorologists, who noted it resulted from intense storm activity originating from the south coast.
According to BoM senior meteorologist Sarah Scully, the southerly change is expected to bring damaging winds. "We do have a southerly change that's expected to move up the east coast of NSW throughout the day but ... potentially severe with heavy rainfall, damaging winds, and large hail all at risk," Scully stated, emphasizing the threats posed to residents.
The NSW Rural Fire Service issued warnings of high fire danger, urging care, especially after over 140,000 lightning strikes were recorded across the state within 24 hours leading up to the storms. A spokesperson from the Rural Fire Service noted, "The majority of incidents were for trees down onto properties and powerlines after strong winds swept through the east of the state."
On the day of the storms, the power grid faced strain from the high temperatures during the morning. Power suppliers monitored the energy network amid fears of overload, as it had been anticipated temperatures would reach up to 41C. Many residents were left without power after the storms caused outages across the area.
The storm brought other side effects as well: the State Emergency Service (SES) received about 300 callouts within hours of the first drops of rain. Of these, roughly 280 were related to fallen trees or branches, but officials confirmed no serious injuries were reported. Signs of flooding were evident, as creeks and storm drains began overflowing. Residents were advised to move vehicles undercover to protect them from the golf-ball-sized hail and to secure any loose outdoor items.
Weather patterns across the region reflected extremes, as conditions were not just limited to Sydney. Further west, regions were predicted to experience temperatures soaring above 46C shortly after Sydney's extreme fluctuations. This included parts of Western Australia, where air temperatures could exceed the typical January averages by as much as 12C.
The fast drop of temperatures was likened to a "southerly buster," described by BoM as, "a strong and cool wind which moves up from the south to the north, it's forecast to reach Sydney around 4 PM this afternoon." Meteorologist Miriam Bradbury highlighted the swift nature of the temperature change, indicating it was expected to drop by as much as fifteen degrees within just fifteen minutes as the storms hit.
Through the evening, storm warnings remained active, with confirmation from BoM of potential for continued heavy rainfall and possible large hail throughout Sydney and Coastal areas. Warnings noted predicable damaging winds with gusts surpassing 90 km/h were likely along the Sydney and Hunter coasts.
Looking forward, the weather forecast indicated weather instability would linger. The following days could still see some showers, with predictions of up to 10mm of rain on Wednesday before conditions stabilize slightly. Despite the turmoil and immediate threat of severe storms experienced, the city will likely feel the impact of these weather changes, emphasizing the need for residents to stay alert.
This recent weather crisis underlines the broader concerns about infrastructure resilience amid extreme weather events, particularly as climate patterns continue to produce unpredictable and severe conditions.