Wild weather hits Sydney small tornado causes damage in Orange

Sydney has been hit by wild weather and a return to wintry temperatures as a cold front brings to an end a record string of warm days.

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued severe weather warnings for coastal areas of Sydney and parts of NSW.

Overnight in Orange, in the NSW Central Tablelands, roofs were torn off, buildings extensively damaged and a car was crushed by a tree after what one resident described to the local SES unit as a “small tornado”. There were 16 calls for help made by 11.20pm.

Wild weather hit Orange on Monday night, described by one resident as a “small tornado”.Credit:NSW SES Orange City Unit

By Tuesday morning, parts of Orange had received more than 50 millimetres of rain since 9am on Monday, while Sydney’s Observatory Hill recorded around 28mm in that period.

An alert at 8am on Tuesday warned damaging winds and damaging surf, with waves exceeding five metres, would impact parts of the Sydney metropolitan, Illawarra and South Coast districts.

“Locations which may be affected include Sydney, Wollongong, The Entrance, Woy Woy, Bulli, Port Kembla, Kiama, Huskisson and Ulladulla,” the bureau said.

Rain falls in Avalon on the northern beaches on Tuesday morning.Credit:Nick Moir

People were advised to stay “well away” from the surf and surf-exposed zones, particularly those in the south and south-east deemed to be at the highest risk.

Forecaster Sam Campbell said the cold front from the west would move through Sydney on Tuesday morning.

“We’re also expecting a low-pressure system to form off the coast to the east of about Wollongong,” he said.

“It’s likely to bring some strong winds and increased rainfall around the coast and hazardous conditions as well.”

The Bureau of Meteorology said up to 90 millimetres of rain could fall in Sydney on Tuesday morning.Credit:Nick Moir

This low is expected to move slowly east during the mid-week, with conditions easing as it tracks into the Tasman Sea.

Mr Campbell said there was a chance of thunderstorms and heavy rain, between 45 and 90 millimetres, on Tuesday as well as gusts of wind reaching more than 90 kilometres an hour.

Sydney’s temperatures are expected to dip as low as 14 degrees on Tuesday and stay below 20 degrees into the early part of the weekend.

Winds should gradually ease below gale or damaging wind thresholds during Wednesday morning, according to the bureau.

It comes after two weeks of unseasonably warm weather in Sydney with temperatures staying above 20 degrees in the 15 days to Monday.

Crowds enjoyed two weeks of warm winter weather at Manly. Credit:James Alcock

It’s a record winter warm streak with the previous record of 10 days above 20 degrees back in 1859.

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Daniella White is a reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.

Sarah McPhee is a breaking news reporter with The Sydney Morning Herald.

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