Heavy rain and storms hit Sydney causing commuter chaos - The Sydney Morning Herald

SES slammed with rescue requests

By Sarah Keoghan

The SES has been hit with 12 flood rescue requests this morning due to flash flooding across Sydney.

The requests for help have come from Artarmon, Macquarie Park, Pymble, West Ryde, Marrickville, Silverwater, and the Northern Beaches.

An SES spokeswoman said the majority of requests have come from people who ignored warnings and drove through deep flash flooding.

The spokeswoman said 73 crews have been activated today due to the thunderstorms.

The SES is urging motorists to turn around instead of driving through flash flooding, as flood water levels can be difficult to judge.

About 50 flights cancelled as weather hits airport

By Laura Chung

About 50 flights have been cancelled or delayed as strong winds and rain take hold of Sydney.

The airport was earlier running on single runway operations, but has since returned to full service.

The operational changes caused massive delays and cancellations, but a spokeswoman for Sydney Airport said: “safety comes first”.

Working overnight, airport staff are doing all they can to ensure passengers are inconvenienced as little as possible.

The airport spokesperson advised passengers to check-in with their airline to ensure they receive flight status updates.

Public transport still affected with massive delays

While T3 train services have resumed between Sydenham and Campsie, a large number of other public transport services are affected.

All light rail services have been cancelled and replacement buses are yet to arrive
Buses in the inner west are delayed up to an hour, while buses in Ramsgate are delayed up to 45 minutes
Neutral Bay and Mosman buses are delayed up to half an hour and Chatswood buses are delayed up to 20 minutes
T1 North Shore Line passengers are advised to allow extra travel time
Town Hall station is experiencing access issues, after a partial roof collapse

Road chaos as police label conditions worst ever

By Sarah Keoghan

Roads are in chaos due to the wild weather, with westbound lanes of the Anzac Bridge closed due to flooding.

Flooding and traffic on Roseville Bridge in Roseville.Credit:Nick Moir

Traffic is now being diverted onto Pyrmont Bridge Road and can rejoin the Anzac Bridge after the fish markets.

Creating further havoc, both Pittwater and Epping Rd in North Ryde have been closed southbound.
Parramatta Road has also been closed off in both directions between Concord Road and George Street, with motorists advised to use the M4 instead.

Traffic and Highway Patrol Commander, Assistant Commissioner Michael Corboy said the conditions were some of the "worst" Sydney has ever seen, and urged motorists to take care on the roads.

Johnson creek at Annandale floods as heavy rain hits Sydney.Credit:David Porter

“Drivers need to consider reducing their speed to make sure they have enough braking distance for themselves and for the vehicle in front, and to drive to the conditions,” he said.

“Today’s weather will be particularly dangerous for motorcycle riders and cyclists and if they are on the road, they should wear bright-coloured clothing, be seen by other vehicles and share roads safely.”

Video shows flooding around Sydney

The weather has caused flash flooding around the city, take a look:

It's not over yet: rain to persist through afternoon

By Megan Levy

The heavy rain that hit Sydney during Wednesday morning's peak could continue well into the afternoon, before moving offshore.

A Bureau of Meteorology spokeswoman said the total rainfalls would depend on where thunderstorms formed during the day.

"Certainly this morning and this afternoon, that's that kind of six to 12-hour period we
expected falls to be heaviest. We are starting to see the winds pick up. They will continue along the coastal fringe in particular into the evening and then start to ease off tomorrow," the spokeswoman told Channel Nine.

"It is quite heavy rates (of rainfall) for a single day but it is not going to hang around like we see with some of the east coast lows and produce the heavy rain totals over multiple days."

Sydney has already copped 100 millimetres of rain

It's still early in the morning, but Sydney has already received 100 millimetres of rain.

Our environment reporter Peter Hannam says the last time more than 100 millimetres of rain was recorded in a 24-hour period to 9am was in 2015.

More than 8100 without power due to storm

More than 8100 homes and businesses are without power as a massive storm cell sweeps the coast of NSW.

An Ausgrid spokesman said as of 8.15am, more than 8100 customers in Sydney's CBD, northern Sydney and the Central Coast were affected by power outages. The main areas impacted are parts of the CBD, Ryde, North Ryde, St Ives, North Turramurra, Marsfield, and Blue Haven on the Central Coast.

Weather. Johnson creek, Annandale, floods as an east coast low envelops Sydney.Credit:Dave Porter

The spokesman said Ausgrid was been monitoring the situation and had extra crews on standby.

School closed due to bad weather

A private school in Sydney's south-west has closed today because of the wild weather.

Georges River Grammar said it decided to close the school on the advice of emergency services "for the safety of all staff students and parents".

"We urge you not to go on the roads today," the school wrote on Facebook. "Please stay home and stay safe."

There are no reports of any public schools closing today due to the storms.

Airport down to single runway operations, flights delayed, cancelled

Sydney Airport's domestic and international terminals are on single runway operations due to the storm.

A Sydney Airport spokeswoman said the airport had been operating on a single runway since 7am, because of storm cells and lightning in the area and winds around the airport reaching 70km/h.

While flights are taking off and landing the spokeswoman said there are delays and cancellations across both terminals, with the domestic terminal the most affected.

Passengers are strongly advised to check with their airlines on their flight status before they arrive at the airport.