'It's pretty wild': evacuations as storm wreaks havoc

The Advertiser

01-07-2025

An enormous clean-up awaits as a rare and damaging storm hits Australia's east coast, with residents ordered to evacuate amid threats of flash flooding, damaging wind and coastal erosion.
Communities stretching from Queensland's Lockyer Valley to Bega on NSW's south coast are being warned to take care as severe weather driven by a "vigorous" coastal low lingers offshore.
The storm, called a cyclone bomb, was expected to track south on Wednesday before turning back out into the Tasman Sea on Thursday.
Wind gusts in the NSW Illawarra region were expected to exceed 125km/h on Wednesday, with isolated rainfall of up to 200mm threatening to deliver flash flooding in Wollongong and surrounding areas.
There are 28 warnings current, including seven emergency warnings.
NSW SES crews had responded to more than 2,320 incidents by early Wednesday morning, as the low shifted southwards from Newcastle toward Sydney, the Illawarra and South Coast.
Flood rescue crews have responded to a surge in rescue incidents so far, including seven in the Illawarra and South Coast.
But the majority of the incidents overnight involved fallen trees, powerlines and damaged roofs.
Across the road from where residents were being warned to evacuate amid coastal erosion on the Central Coast, Dunleith Tourist Park manager Ryan Lloyd told AAP the beaches were being heavily affected as wind gusts and swells intensified.
"It's pretty wild - pretty full on - a bit scary for the home-owners too," he said.
There were patches of blue in the sky but they were otherwise surrounded by dark clouds.
"It's quite ominous, quite eerie."
But the rain was less of a concern than the strong winds.
"We've already had plenty of tree branches down ... they're dropping limbs everywhere," Mr Lloyd said.
"It's just battening down now, just wait for it to blow over - pardon the pun - then a massive clean-up for the next couple of days."
The Bureau of Meteorology was predicting another low-pressure system to enter the storm's path later on Wednesday.
"We see another low-pressure system, really dumb-belling around that first one, that will really intensify and reinforce some of those winds and rain across the south coast," senior meteorologist Jonathan How said.
Weather phenomena expert Andrew Dowdy said the storm was likely to have severe impacts.
The system extended about five kilometres into the sky, with two low pressure systems interacting with one another in a phenomenon known to meteorologists as the Fujiwhara effect.
"It is very rare to see two east coast lows spiralling around each other like this," the University of Melbourne associate professor said.
Multiple areas south of Wollongong received more than 50mm of rain on Tuesday as the storm intensified, with Ulladulla hit with almost 100mm in the nine hours to 6pm.
There is a chance Warragamba Dam west of Sydney could spill as a result of the storm, threatening flooding in the Hawkesbury-Nepean catchment area.
Any spill would depend on the actual rainfall and may not occur until days after the storm's expected end, a WaterNSW spokesman said.
Flights from Sydney Airport continued to be cancelled on Wednesday.
An enormous clean-up awaits as a rare and damaging storm hits Australia's east coast, with residents ordered to evacuate amid threats of flash flooding, damaging wind and coastal erosion.
Communities stretching from Queensland's Lockyer Valley to Bega on NSW's south coast are being warned to take care as severe weather driven by a "vigorous" coastal low lingers offshore.
The storm, called a cyclone bomb, was expected to track south on Wednesday before turning back out into the Tasman Sea on Thursday.
Wind gusts in the NSW Illawarra region were expected to exceed 125km/h on Wednesday, with isolated rainfall of up to 200mm threatening to deliver flash flooding in Wollongong and surrounding areas.
There are 28 warnings current, including seven emergency warnings.
NSW SES crews had responded to more than 2,320 incidents by early Wednesday morning, as the low shifted southwards from Newcastle toward Sydney, the Illawarra and South Coast.
Flood rescue crews have responded to a surge in rescue incidents so far, including seven in the Illawarra and South Coast.
But the majority of the incidents overnight involved fallen trees, powerlines and damaged roofs.
Across the road from where residents were being warned to evacuate amid coastal erosion on the Central Coast, Dunleith Tourist Park manager Ryan Lloyd told AAP the beaches were being heavily affected as wind gusts and swells intensified.
"It's pretty wild - pretty full on - a bit scary for the home-owners too," he said.
There were patches of blue in the sky but they were otherwise surrounded by dark clouds.
"It's quite ominous, quite eerie."
But the rain was less of a concern than the strong winds.
"We've already had plenty of tree branches down ... they're dropping limbs everywhere," Mr Lloyd said.
"It's just battening down now, just wait for it to blow over - pardon the pun - then a massive clean-up for the next couple of days."
The Bureau of Meteorology was predicting another low-pressure system to enter the storm's path later on Wednesday.
"We see another low-pressure system, really dumb-belling around that first one, that will really intensify and reinforce some of those winds and rain across the south coast," senior meteorologist Jonathan How said.
Weather phenomena expert Andrew Dowdy said the storm was likely to have severe impacts.
The system extended about five kilometres into the sky, with two low pressure systems interacting with one another in a phenomenon known to meteorologists as the Fujiwhara effect.
"It is very rare to see two east coast lows spiralling around each other like this," the University of Melbourne associate professor said.
Multiple areas south of Wollongong received more than 50mm of rain on Tuesday as the storm intensified, with Ulladulla hit with almost 100mm in the nine hours to 6pm.
There is a chance Warragamba Dam west of Sydney could spill as a result of the storm, threatening flooding in the Hawkesbury-Nepean catchment area.
Any spill would depend on the actual rainfall and may not occur until days after the storm's expected end, a WaterNSW spokesman said.
Flights from Sydney Airport continued to be cancelled on Wednesday.
An enormous clean-up awaits as a rare and damaging storm hits Australia's east coast, with residents ordered to evacuate amid threats of flash flooding, damaging wind and coastal erosion.
Communities stretching from Queensland's Lockyer Valley to Bega on NSW's south coast are being warned to take care as severe weather driven by a "vigorous" coastal low lingers offshore.
The storm, called a cyclone bomb, was expected to track south on Wednesday before turning back out into the Tasman Sea on Thursday.
Wind gusts in the NSW Illawarra region were expected to exceed 125km/h on Wednesday, with isolated rainfall of up to 200mm threatening to deliver flash flooding in Wollongong and surrounding areas.
There are 28 warnings current, including seven emergency warnings.
NSW SES crews had responded to more than 2,320 incidents by early Wednesday morning, as the low shifted southwards from Newcastle toward Sydney, the Illawarra and South Coast.
Flood rescue crews have responded to a surge in rescue incidents so far, including seven in the Illawarra and South Coast.
But the majority of the incidents overnight involved fallen trees, powerlines and damaged roofs.
Across the road from where residents were being warned to evacuate amid coastal erosion on the Central Coast, Dunleith Tourist Park manager Ryan Lloyd told AAP the beaches were being heavily affected as wind gusts and swells intensified.
"It's pretty wild - pretty full on - a bit scary for the home-owners too," he said.
There were patches of blue in the sky but they were otherwise surrounded by dark clouds.
"It's quite ominous, quite eerie."
But the rain was less of a concern than the strong winds.
"We've already had plenty of tree branches down ... they're dropping limbs everywhere," Mr Lloyd said.
"It's just battening down now, just wait for it to blow over - pardon the pun - then a massive clean-up for the next couple of days."
The Bureau of Meteorology was predicting another low-pressure system to enter the storm's path later on Wednesday.
"We see another low-pressure system, really dumb-belling around that first one, that will really intensify and reinforce some of those winds and rain across the south coast," senior meteorologist Jonathan How said.
Weather phenomena expert Andrew Dowdy said the storm was likely to have severe impacts.
The system extended about five kilometres into the sky, with two low pressure systems interacting with one another in a phenomenon known to meteorologists as the Fujiwhara effect.
"It is very rare to see two east coast lows spiralling around each other like this," the University of Melbourne associate professor said.
Multiple areas south of Wollongong received more than 50mm of rain on Tuesday as the storm intensified, with Ulladulla hit with almost 100mm in the nine hours to 6pm.
There is a chance Warragamba Dam west of Sydney could spill as a result of the storm, threatening flooding in the Hawkesbury-Nepean catchment area.
Any spill would depend on the actual rainfall and may not occur until days after the storm's expected end, a WaterNSW spokesman said.
Flights from Sydney Airport continued to be cancelled on Wednesday.
An enormous clean-up awaits as a rare and damaging storm hits Australia's east coast, with residents ordered to evacuate amid threats of flash flooding, damaging wind and coastal erosion.
Communities stretching from Queensland's Lockyer Valley to Bega on NSW's south coast are being warned to take care as severe weather driven by a "vigorous" coastal low lingers offshore.
The storm, called a cyclone bomb, was expected to track south on Wednesday before turning back out into the Tasman Sea on Thursday.
Wind gusts in the NSW Illawarra region were expected to exceed 125km/h on Wednesday, with isolated rainfall of up to 200mm threatening to deliver flash flooding in Wollongong and surrounding areas.
There are 28 warnings current, including seven emergency warnings.
NSW SES crews had responded to more than 2,320 incidents by early Wednesday morning, as the low shifted southwards from Newcastle toward Sydney, the Illawarra and South Coast.
Flood rescue crews have responded to a surge in rescue incidents so far, including seven in the Illawarra and South Coast.
But the majority of the incidents overnight involved fallen trees, powerlines and damaged roofs.
Across the road from where residents were being warned to evacuate amid coastal erosion on the Central Coast, Dunleith Tourist Park manager Ryan Lloyd told AAP the beaches were being heavily affected as wind gusts and swells intensified.
"It's pretty wild - pretty full on - a bit scary for the home-owners too," he said.
There were patches of blue in the sky but they were otherwise surrounded by dark clouds.
"It's quite ominous, quite eerie."
But the rain was less of a concern than the strong winds.
"We've already had plenty of tree branches down ... they're dropping limbs everywhere," Mr Lloyd said.
"It's just battening down now, just wait for it to blow over - pardon the pun - then a massive clean-up for the next couple of days."
The Bureau of Meteorology was predicting another low-pressure system to enter the storm's path later on Wednesday.
"We see another low-pressure system, really dumb-belling around that first one, that will really intensify and reinforce some of those winds and rain across the south coast," senior meteorologist Jonathan How said.
Weather phenomena expert Andrew Dowdy said the storm was likely to have severe impacts.
The system extended about five kilometres into the sky, with two low pressure systems interacting with one another in a phenomenon known to meteorologists as the Fujiwhara effect.
"It is very rare to see two east coast lows spiralling around each other like this," the University of Melbourne associate professor said.
Multiple areas south of Wollongong received more than 50mm of rain on Tuesday as the storm intensified, with Ulladulla hit with almost 100mm in the nine hours to 6pm.
There is a chance Warragamba Dam west of Sydney could spill as a result of the storm, threatening flooding in the Hawkesbury-Nepean catchment area.
Any spill would depend on the actual rainfall and may not occur until days after the storm's expected end, a WaterNSW spokesman said.
Flights from Sydney Airport continued to be cancelled on Wednesday.