WILD weather wreaked havoc when it swept into the Hunter yesterday and the region is now bracing for more storms.
Residents reported localised flash flooding and some damage after the dark storm front rolled in about 4.30pm, causing thunder to rattle Newcastle and lightning to split the sky.
State Emergency Service (SES) volunteers and Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crews were deployed right along the coast from Gosford to Nambucca Heads in response to calls for help.
Newcastle Basketball was forced to cancel games scheduled for February 14 due to flooding inside the Broadmeadow stadium.
Footage taken after the storm struck showed water pooling on the courts.
A social media post by Newcastle Basketball said all programs and competitions would go ahead as normal today.
Photographs taken in the aftermath of the severe thunderstorm show a roof partially collapsed at Jesmond Central shopping centre, and near the Family Hotel on Hunter Street in Newcastle West.
There was localised flash flooding in Wickham, with water lapping against cars parked next to curbs.
There was some waist-deep flooding reported with blocked drains at Gordon Avenue, Hamilton.
The SES responded to about 50 requests for assistance across the northern region, about half of those were in Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and on the Central Coast.
Crews were still working on nine jobs this morning and ensuring any affected properties were made safe.
About half of all jobs were for trees or large branches that had fallen in the gusty winds and caused problems, SES northern region zone readiness officer Travis Douglas said.
"There was thankfully no flood rescue jobs which is really nice to see, the community is paying attention and supporting not driving through floodwaters," he said.
Mr Douglas warned there was the potential for afternoon thunderstorms in the Hunter across the next three days.
There had been no official warnings by Thursday morning but he urged the community to be vigilant and prepared.
According to the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), there is a 70 per cent chance of rain on Friday and the chance of a thunderstorm.
There is also the chance of storms on Saturday and Sunday, in the afternoon or evening, and during the day on Monday.
He said the soil moisture has been quite low so the SES was expecting most of the rainfall to be absorbed and no river flooding to occur from the latest storm events.
BOM data shows the weather station at Nobbys in Newcastle recorded 11.8mm of rain in less than 10 minutes after 4.30pm.
A total of 17.4mm of rain was recorded in the 24 hours to 9am on February 15, according to the BOM.
Wind gusts of up to 87 kilometres per hour were recorded in Newcastle.
A southerly change moved up into the Hunter district yesterday afternoon, which triggered thunderstorms in a humid and unstable environment, according to the BOM.
It was a hot day yesterday, with temperatures warmer than 30 degrees in Newcastle.
More than 1200 customers were plunged into darkness when the electricity went off during the storm in the Cardiff area, and another 1179 were without power in Mount Hutton, Charlestown and Warners Bay.
According to Ausgrid, the outages were fixed on Wednesday night.
To get storm-ready, the SES advises people to:
- Move their cars undercover or away from trees
- Secure loose items
- Keep eight metres from fallen powerlines, and report any that fall
- Keep clear of creeks and storm drains
- Don't walk, ride a bike or drive through flood water
- If you are trapped by flash flooding, seek refuge in the highest available place and ring triple zero (000) if you need rescue
- Stay indoors away from windows, and keep children and pets indoors as well
- Monitor conditions
- Call the SES for storm help on 132 500 or triple zero (000) in a life-threatening emergency
