'Most dangerous': Severe storms to hammer 900km stretch of east coast
Locals are told to remain indoors as severe thunderstorms pass over several regions in NSW.
Residents in New South Wales have been told to brace for damaging winds and hail almost the size of golf balls.
A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for parts of the Northern Rivers, Mid North Coast, Hunter and Northern Tablelands regions with isolated thunderstorms expected to hit on Monday evening. Severe thunderstorms are possible across a 900km stretch from Lismore to Goulburn, incorporating the major cities of Sydney and Newcastle.
“There is the potential for wind gusts of 90 kilometres an hour so that’s strong enough to bring trees down, power lines down and blow loose items around,” the Weatherzone’s Brett Dutschke told Yahoo News Australia.
“There is also a fair chance hail size will exceed 2.5 centimetres in diameter so large enough to cause damage, particularly enough to damage a car and break windows.”
Weatherzone meteorologist Joel Pippard told NCA NewsWire the storms predicted are "the most dangerous type".
Locations that may be worst hit include Cessnock, Dorrigo, Ebor, Singleton, Putty and Wollombi, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
Avoid going outside
Locals are being told to take action now before the bad weather hits, and then avoid going outside for the next few hours.
“If your vehicle is parked out in the open and you have shelter to park under, that’s a good idea,” Mr Dutschke said. “Also tidy loose items around in the yard to ensure they don’t get blown away in any nearby storm.”
The Bureau of Meteorology also encouraged residents to unplug computers and appliances, avoid using the phone during the storm, stay away from windows indoors and keep children and pets inside.
⚠️ Severe thunderstorms for the eastern ranges and coastal hinterland this afternoon and evening. Severe storms may produce damaging winds, large hail and heavy falls. The Hunter faces the highest risk, with possible destructive winds and giant hailstones. pic.twitter.com/hRYB6es0JP
— Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) February 26, 2023
Up to 60 millimetres of rain to fall in some areas
While the storms are moving from west to east and generally dying out before they reach the coast, they’re set to dump plenty of rain on New South Wales.
“The biggest storms have the potential to bring 30 to 60 millimetres of rain,” Mr Dutschke said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if we see some locations with more than 50 millimetres so flash flooding is certainly a risk.
After raging across large parts of the state, storms are expected to die down overnight. “But there’ll still be a few storms going on after sunset during the evening."
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