One dead, 200 000 homes without power as severe thunderstorms with large hail hit New South Wales, Australia
Severe thunderstorms with large hailstorms, approximately 4 cm (1.6 inches), wreaked havoc across parts of eastern Australia on Wednesday, January 15, 2025, leaving one person dead and causing outages for over 200 000 homes.
Image credit: JMA/Himawari-9, Zoom Earth, The Watchers. Acquired at 07:10 UTC on January 15, 2025
Intense thunderstorms brought strong winds, heavy rain and large hail across parts of eastern Australia on January 15, leaving a trail of destruction, at least one person killed and hundreds of thousands without power.
Wind gusts exceeded 120 km/h (75 mph) in some areas with Williamtown, New South Wales (NSW) recording the highest wind speed. Sydney Airport temporarily grounded all flights and redirected incoming planes to alternative airports while returning departing flights to their gates.
A man in his 80s was killed in Cowra, NSW when a tree fell on his car amidst winds of 107 km/h (66 mph). The incident occurred around 15:50 LT (04:50 UTC) on Lachlan Valley Way and police are investigating.
Four people sustained injuries in the Riverina region, NSW after high winds destroyed temporary shelters. Roofs were torn off in the Hawkesbury region and Aberdeen in the Hunter district while hailstones as large as 4 cm (1.6 inches) damaged property near Wellington.
“Wednesday has the potential to be one of the most dangerous thunderstorm days we have seen so far this summer due to the ample instability and potential for supercells and a squall line. Damaging winds, large hail and heavy rain are all likely, with destructive winds and giant hail also a chance,” Ben Domensino of WeatherZone reported.
Power outages affected more than 200 000 homes, mainly in NSW capital Sydney, Newcastle, and Wollongong, with lightning strikes responsible for approximately 90% of outages.
Ausgrid reported 118 000 customers without power as of 21:00 LT (10:00 UTC) while Endeavour Energy and Essential Energy had tens of thousands of homes impacted across the Blue Mountains, Illawarra, and other regions.
The NSW State Emergency Service (SES) responded to 1 240 incidents by 22:00 LT (11:00 UTC) including fallen trees, roof damage, and leaks. The Sydney metro region reported the highest number of calls at 414 followed by Wagga Wagga with 187 calls.
“Due to heavy storm activity, there have been flight delays, cancellations and diversions. Passengers are encouraged to check with their airlines regarding the status of their flights,” a Sydney Airport spokesperson stated.
In Wagga Wagga, multiple campers were injured when demountable huts flipped in strong winds at Bomen. Trees fell onto vehicles at Tarcutta and caused further damage.
Heavy rainfall, hail, and destructive winds impacted districts such as the Hunter, Mid-North Coast, Illawarra, and Central Tablelands. Rainfall of 30 mm (1.18 inches) was recorded in half an hour in towns like Mandurama, Araluen, and Perisher Valley.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) warned of continued flash flooding risks in Sydney and surrounding areas into Thursday, January 16.
Public transport faced severe disruptions as power outages halted light rail services between Town Hall and Circular Quay.
Train services on the T9 line were suspended between Epping and Hornsby after a tree fell onto wiring in Normanhurst. Flooding at Town Hall Station in the CBD added to the chaos.
An A-League women’s soccer match between Sydney FC and Canberra United was abandoned after being suspended mid-match because of dangerous conditions at Leichhardt Oval. Sydney FC was leading 2-0 at the time.
Severe thunderstorm warnings remain in place for parts of NSW including the Mid North Coast, Snowy Mountains, and Northern Tablelands.
Sheep graziers in the state’s south and the Australian Capital Territory were cautioned about cold temperatures, rain, and southwesterly winds posing risks to livestock.
The BoM has forecast further storms with potential flash flooding and hailstones for Thursday, January 16, 2025.
Sydney is expected to experience 8 mm (0.31 inches) of rainfall on Thursday, accompanied by winds reaching up to 40 km/h (25 mph) and temperatures ranging from 19 to 26 °C (66 to 79 °F). Wagga Wagga faces similar warnings with forecasts predicting rain and high winds.
On Tuesday, January 14, a supercell storm struck the Southern Downs in Queensland, particularly between Applethorpe and The Summit near Stanthorpe. Residents reported hailstones up to 10 cm (3.9 inches) in diameter, leading to property damage and hazardous conditions.
Damaging winds reaching up to 98 km/h (60 mph) were reported in Winton, central western Queensland, resulting in fallen trees and power outages.
Central western Queensland, including Winton, experienced damaging winds reaching up to 98 km/h. These winds resulted in fallen trees and power outages.
References:
1 Warnings current – BoM – Accessed on January 15, 2025
2 Severe thunderstorm outbreak hitting eastern Australia – weatherzone – January 15, 2025
3 One dead, more than 200,000 without power after thunderstorms pound NSW – 9NEWS – January 15, 2025
4 Man killed as tree falls on car, several others injured as severe storms lash large parts of NSW – 7NEWS – January 15, 2025
5 AUS Warnings – weatherzone – January 15, 2025
Rishika holds a Master’s in International Studies from Stella Maris College, Chennai, India, where she earned a gold medal, and an MCA from the University of Mysore, Karnataka, India. Previously, she served as a Research Assistant at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India. During her tenure, she contributed as a Junior Writer for Europe Monitor on the Global Politics website and as an Assistant Editor for The World This Week. Her work has also been published in The Hindu newspaper, showing her expertise in global affairs. Rishika is also a recipient of the Women Empowerment Award at the district level in Haryana, India, in 2022.
Commenting rules and guidelines
We value the thoughts and opinions of our readers and welcome healthy discussions on our website. In order to maintain a respectful and positive community, we ask that all commenters follow these rules.