SES warns of more wild weather after fatal storm leaves thousands without power

A driver believed to be in his 80s died on Wednesday evening after a tree fell on his vehicle in Cowra in the state’s Central West on Wednesday afternoon. Emergency services were called to Lachlan Valley Way and found the man dead at the scene. He has not yet been formally identified.

Four others were injured in Bomen, near Wagga Wagga, after high winds flipped demountable huts, the SES said, while a person in Castle Hill was trapped in their car by a fallen tree.

A house also burned down in Mudgee, in the Central West, after the storm downed a power line. No one was injured in the home. A roof also was ripped off a property in Carlingford, forcing 14 people to seek emergency accommodation.

The storms caused more than 140,000 power outages, according to the SES, with Ausgrid data showing almost 100,000 still without power on Thursday and customers reporting more than 300 electrical hazards. The energy provider said the storm was the biggest to hit Sydney in several years.

Ausgrid said emergency crews were working to clear debris and deal with hazards but warned that some customers would remain without power until Friday “at the earliest”.

In Sydney, multiple stations, including Lidcombe and Cabramatta, suffered power cuts. Town Hall station concourse flooded, and trees damaged overhead wires at Normanhurst and Bell.

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The SES has warned people camping near rivers and creeks on the Central Coast, Mid North Coast and North Coast to prepare for severe weather.

The Bureau has also issued a coastal hazard warning for damaging surf in parts of Mid North Coast, Hunter, Metropolitan and Illawarra Forecast Districts.

A flood watch has been issued for the Orara, Coffs Coast, Bellinger and Kalang River Catchments, Manning and Gloucester, Myall River, Karuah River, Wollombi Brook and Lower Hunter, and Paterson and Williams River, with minor flooding possible.

A severe thunderstorm warning was cancelled for people in Mid North Coast, Hunter, North West Slopes and Plains and Northern Tablelands Forecast Districts earlier this morning.

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