Sydney weather update: Thousands without power, more rain, storms expected

Thousands of homes in Sydney have been left without power after a severe storm, dubbed as a “mini tornado,” ripped through the city at night. The heavy winds damaged the trees, destroying not only the cars and houses but also the power lines. According to latest news, the residents of Mount Druitt, Castle Hill and Parramatta might have to remain without electricity until the afternoon as the repair works are undertaken.

The most affected area is Western Sydney, where maximum trees went crashing down on properties and power lines. According to 9news, Hills District was the worst hit, with an estimate of 33,000 properties without power. As of yesterday evening, the northern part of Sydney was severely affected. There has been no power in 800 homes in Berowra, 1,300 homes in the Central Coast suburbs of Woy Woy and in 400 homes in Saratoga, according to the website.

Enderavour Energy has reportedly restored power to more than 41,000 homes since yesterday afternoon. More homes are expected to get the power back by today as a team 100 crew members are working hard on the repairs in the Western Sydney.

The Sydney Emergency Services received approximately 1,000 calls for help during the night, reports Sky News. The crew also helped rescue a teenager who fell in a drain near Blacktown. SES spokesperson Phil Campbell said that rain did not cause as much damage as the falling trees and its branches. “It's more chainsaws than buckets this time for the cleanup,” Campbell told the AAP news agency.

The weather forecast does not sound positive for Sydney for Thursday. The city is expected to receive more showers in the evening and there is also a forecast for storms for state's central west and northwest. “What we're concerned about is heavy rainfall, the potential for large hailstones and damaging wind gusts with that storm," forecaster Zach Berry-Porter told the website.

Various residents described their experience in the storm. Whalan resident Lynette Tenana told Daily Telegraph that she was driving on the road when the storm struck

“It was like a current, you could feel the force of the wind and the rain pushing me to the left and we were trying to stay in the middle of the road,” Tenana told the website. “We couldn’t see, it was ridiculous, even with wipers moving as fast as they were."

David Barlow, Bureau of Metereology spokesman, told the Telegraph that it is possible that Sydney may break the record of the wettest March season in five years. Sydney Olympic Park saw the maximum rainfall with 44mm while Lidcombe and North Richmond witnessed 42mm and 36mm of rain, respectively.