‘Bomb cyclone' pummels Sydney with heavy rains, winds
SYDNEY - A 'bomb cyclone' has lashed Australia's most populous state with heavy rain and strong winds, forcing airlines to cancel domestic flights and prompting evacuation warnings in coastal communities.
Authorities on July 1 warned that parts of New South Wales could also expect the wild weather to worsen in the next 24 hours, with up to 250mm of rain and winds up to 125kmh predicted.
Emergency Services Minister Jihad Dib said the size of the system was 'enormous'.
'It may seem pretty bad but the terrible thing is the situation is going to worsen over the course of the next 24 hours,' he told a news conference on the afternoon of July 2 .
Residents living along areas vulnerable to coastal erosion have been told to leave their homes with minor flood warnings also in place for several communities along the state's Mid North Coast.
Qantas Airways cancelled at least 11 domestic flights operating from Sydney and Virgin Australia cancelled 12, the Sydney Airport website showed. No international flights have been affected.
'Some services on Virgin Australia's network have been impacted by adverse weather in Sydney and Newcastle today,' a Virgin Australia spokesperson said by email.
Australia's weather bureau said a 'bomb cyclone', or 'bombogenesis', was a low-pressure system that formed quickly and caused pressure to drop significantly within a short period of time.
The weather system is expected to shift offshore into the Tasman Sea on July 2 and ease by July 3 , the bureau said.
'Damaging winds and large seas will continue across much of the coast through July 2 , with warnings expected to continue,' senior meteorologist Helen Reid said.
'Conditions will continue to ease into July 4 with only very light isolated showers lingering about the east coast by the end of the week.' REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
5 hours ago
- CNA
Two dead in Spain fire as heatwave scorches Europe
BARCELONA: Firefighters in Spain have said they found two bodies after a blaze in the northeast of the country, which is in the midst of a brutal heatwave. The heatwave across Europe this week broke high temperature records, caused the closure of schools and increased the risk of fire. Authorities in Spain's Catalonia region on Tuesday (Jul 2) confined about 14,000 people to their homes due to two wildfires that broke out almost simultaneously in the province of Lerida. In one of the blazes, near the city of Cosco, "two people were found lifeless by firefighters", the fire and emergency service said in a statement. The exact cause of the fire was unclear, but the service said the recent heat, dry conditions and strong winds caused by storms had increased the intensity of the flames. Catalonia regional president Salvador Illa said he was "dismayed after learning of the death of two people as a result of the fire", in a post on X. Hours earlier, police in the region had reported the death of a two-year-old boy after he was left in a parked car in the sun for several hours. Spain is in the midst of an intense heatwave, with temperatures exceeding 40°C in many places and several heat records set for the month of June. One person died in the southern city of Cordoba and another in Barcelona, both while doing road work on Saturday and likely victims of heatstroke. According to scientists, extreme weather events, such as heatwaves and storms, are becoming more intense due to man-made climate change. Tens of thousands of people have died in Europe during past heatwaves, prompting authorities to issue warnings for old and young, the sick, and others vulnerable to what experts call a "silent killer".
CNA
10 hours ago
- CNA
Wild storm in Sydney disrupts flights, thousands without power
SYDNEY: A wild weather system pummelled Sydney for a second day on Wednesday (Jul 2), with the storm forcing the cancellation of dozens of flights, bringing down trees and taking out power to thousands of homes in Australia's southeast. Qantas Airways and Virgin Australia Australia's biggest airlines, have together cancelled at least 55 domestic flights in and out of Sydney on Wednesday, the airport's website showed. Some international flights have been delayed. Sydney's train services have also been disrupted, with authorities urging people to avoid non-essential travel. "Be really careful. It's really wild out there, if you can delay travel, please do so," New South Wales state Emergency Services Chief Superintendent Dallas Burnes told ABC News. "As people wake today and see the damage from last night, we're expecting a very busy day." A coastal low-pressure system, described by meteorologists as a "bomb cyclone", smashed Australia's southeast coast overnight with wind gusts of more than 100 kph, uprooting trees and damaging power lines. Roughly one month's worth of rain fell over six hours in some regions. The weather phenomenon forms quickly and causes air pressure to drop significantly within a short period of time. More than 35,000 properties are without power in New South Wales, Australia's most populous state, after the storm overnight, outage data showed. Several roads in the state's Illawara region south of Sydney have been closed due to flooding and fallen trees. Evacuation orders were issued due to coastal erosion in the Central Coast region, while dozens of warnings remain for wind damage and flash flooding. Conditions are expected to worsen through Wednesday before the system eases and move into the Tasman Sea, and then track toward New Zealand on Thursday. New Zealand's National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research said the low-pressure system could bring heavy rain and strong winds to the country's North Island on Thursday and into the weekend.
Straits Times
10 hours ago
- Straits Times
Wild storm in Sydney disrupts flights, thousands without power
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox A wild weather system pummelled Sydney for a second day on July 2, with the storm forcing the cancellation of dozens of flights. SYDNEY - A wild weather system pummelled Sydney for a second day on July 2, with the storm forcing the cancellation of dozens of flights, bringing down trees and taking out power to thousands of homes in Australia's south-east. Qantas Airways and Virgin Australia, Australia's biggest airlines, have together cancelled at least 55 domestic flights in and out of Sydney on July 2, the airport's website showed. Some international flights have been delayed. Sydney's train services have also been disrupted, with authorities urging people to avoid non-essential travel. 'Be really careful. It's really wild out there, if you can delay travel, please do so,' New South Wales state Emergency Services Chief Superintendent Dallas Burnes told ABC News. 'As people wake today and see the damage from last night, we're expecting a very busy day.' A coastal low-pressure system, described by meteorologists as a 'bomb cyclone', smashed Australia's south-east coast overnight with wind gusts of more than 100kph, uprooting trees and damaging power lines. Roughly one month's worth of rain fell over six hours in some regions. The weather phenomenon forms quickly and causes air pressure to drop significantly within a short period of time. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. World US Senate approves divisive Trump spending Bill Singapore A second chance to excel: 3,800 private candidates taking O- and A-level exams in 2025 Multimedia Right on track: Meet the new JB-Singapore RTS Link train Opinion US strikes on Iran: The impact ripples on, from Baghdad to Beijing Singapore 'He fought till the end': Man who survived acid attack as a baby dies of cancer at 26 Singapore Judge rejects woman's claim that she owns 99% of Bukit Timah condo mostly paid for by ex-boyfriend Asia Thai PM's suspension could spell end of Shinawatra clan's era of political dominance Life Sean 'Diddy' Combs jury asks to review Casandra Ventura's testimony More than 35,000 properties are without power in New South Wales, Australia's most populous state, after the storm overnight, outage data showed. Several roads in the state's Illawara region south of Sydney have been closed due to flooding and fallen trees. Evacuation orders were issued due to coastal erosion in the Central Coast region, while dozens of warnings remain for wind damage and flash flooding. Conditions are expected to worsen through July 2 before the system eases and move into the Tasman Sea, and then track towards New Zealand on July 3. New Zealand's National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research said the low-pressure system could bring heavy rain and strong winds to the country's North Island on July 3 and into the weekend. REUTERS
