Yards covered in ice as 'deafening' hail storms hit parts of NSW

Storms have fired up across western NSW and parts of southern Queensland bringing warnings of flooding, large hail and damaging winds, as the violent weather system sweeps across the east coast.

The storm cell was whipped up after spectacular sunrise over Sydney, giving credence to the old axiom, "Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning."

Heavy rain, hail and damaging winds have lashed parts of central west NSW, with the drenching set to continue overnight for much of the state.

Sydney was spared much of the wild weather on Monday evening but is due to gets its share on Tuesday with a severe thunderstorm warning in place for large hailstones and damaging winds.

The State Emergency Service says it received 150 calls for help across NSW as a low-pressure system made its way towards Queensland, bringing hailstones the size of golf-balls in some areas.

The deluge was deafening in some parts of NSW, leaving streets and yards covered in ice.

Dubbo bore the brunt of the storm, recording 69mm of rain by 8pm on Monday.

Emergency crews responded to 65 calls for help in the area, SES spokesman Phil Campbell said.

"The main damage in Dubbo was the Charles Sturt University campus which had to be evacuated because of water damage," Mr Campbell told AAP, adding there were reports of aged care and childcare facilities being shut down.

A severe thunderstorm warning, which could bring flash flooding, damaging winds and large hailstones, remains for much of the state.

The storm cell brewed with a trough mixed with humid air drawn from the tropics.

Areas which may be affected include Armidale, Orange, Mudgee, Bathurst, Tamworth, Gunnedah, Moree, Narrabri, Dubbo, Parkes, Wellington and Coonamble, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

A meteorologist with Weatherzone, Graeme Brittain, told Fairfax there was also the risk of tornadoes across the north-west slopes and plains.

Mr Brittain told Fairfax there was a chance that some of the super cells could spawn potential tornadoes.

"The indices and metrics that we use to forecast tornadoes are suggesting they are possible [in] the North West Slopes and Plains," Mr Brittain told Fairfax.

The storm cell is expected to move south with up to 70mm of rain forecast to drench Sydney on Tuesday.

"While there is a risk of a super cell thunderstorm, that decreases overnight," bureau forecaster Rebecca Kamitakahara told AAP.

"They are still predicted to bring destructive winds however," Ms Kamitakahara said, adding that the central and north-west slops and plains are most at risk.

The SES said it was preparing for a busy week ahead with severe thunderstorms forecast to hit the northeast parts of the state from Wednesday to Friday.

"We're asking residents to be prepared, especially things like clearing gutters and drain pipes because they led to a lot of water damage to some of those homes in Dubbo," Mr Campbell said.

Earlier in the morning Sydney-siders flooded social media with images of sunrises.

Social media was crammed with the incredible images, but serenity will be short-lived as huge storms move in across the region.

The storm cell is expected to move south with up to 70mm of rain forecast to drench Sydney on Tuesday.

Today's top news headlines - March 13