Sydney hit by severe electric storm, causing flooding and transport chaos

Greater Sydney and other parts of New South Wales have been hit by a severe electric storm causing widespread flooding in the city centre, traffic chaos and forcing the abandonment of an A-League Women’s fixture.

Earlier in the day, an elderly man was killed when a tree fell on his vehicle in high winds in the state’s central west.

The New South Wales Bureau of Meteorology issued a warning for a severe thunderstorm, damaging winds and heavy rainfall for parts of the Blue Mountains/Hawkesbury, Maitland/Cessnock, Sydney, Wollondilly/Wingecarribee and the Greater Newcastle areas.

The storm hit Sydney’s western suburbs shortly after 8pm and then moved over the CBD and caused Town Hall station concourse to be flooded, disrupting rail services already badly affected by the day’s industrial action.

On Wednesday night, Sydney Trains released a statement warning that there would be more delays on Thursday worsened by the storm.

“Sydney Trains is forecasting another heavily degraded day on the network from early Thursday,” the statement said, “when passengers will again face lengthy delays, service cancellations and large service gaps as a result of over 350 bans that have been notified.”

“Passengers should also be aware that tonight’s wild storms have caused trees to fall on overhead wiring at Normanhurst and Bell, and caused power outages at Lidcombe, Cabramatta and Flemington, multiple signal/track failures at Shellharbour Junction and flooding at Town Hall, which have all had varied impacts to services.”

Roads were also badly affected with flood waters in Pyrmont blocking two lanes on the Western Distributor.

Strrong winds were also a hazard with a gust of 100kmh recorded at Sydney Airport.

Lightning forced Sydney FC’s A-League Women’s match against Canberra United at Leichhardt Oval to be abandoned with the Sky Blues leading 2-0.

The game was suspended in the 55th minute due to lightning in the area, amid horrific weather, and less than an hour later was abandoned altogether.

The storm caused more damage later on in the Hunter region where a gust of 120kmh was recorded at Williamtown.

New South Wales police said that at about 3.50pm on Wednesday emergency services were called to Lachlan Valley Way, Cowra, and found a man had died after a tree fell on his car. He has not been formally identified but was believed to be in his 80s.

The local MP, Michael McCormack, said it was “so sad to hear the wild weather has claimed the life of an elderly man”.