By Sarah McPhee
A tornado left a path of destruction in the NSW Central West and hail was reported in Sydney’s north west on Thursday, with severe thunderstorm warnings issued for much of the state.
“There are reports of damage to houses, powerlines and trees around the Clear Creek area, north north-east of Bathurst,” the Bureau of Meteorology said of the tornado on Thursday afternoon.
It said reports of damage stretch 25 to 30 kilometres, with the path running roughly north-west.
BOM spokesman Daniel Barty said they “can’t say” the tornado was on the ground the whole time, but the distance is a track map “from the first report of damage to the last report of damage that we know of so far”.
Agata Imielska, BOM manager for NSW and ACT, added: “We know at least some of that damage was with a tornado occurring.”
She said tornadoes in general are “pretty rare” and localised at an even smaller scale than thunderstorms.
“We generally need to see damage that’s associated with them and observe the actual tornado, that really aids in being able to say yes, we’ve definitely, actually seen a tornado.
“There are other types of really localised systems, like a microburst. These, like tornadoes, tend to be associated with severe thunderstorms and conditions that we see.”
She said confirmation of tornadoes relied on one being witnessed, or impacting people and buildings, and therefore records of them occurring are not very accurate or extensive.
Ms Imielska pointed to the tornado that caused significant destruction in Kurnell, in Sydney’s south, in 2015.
“We could see from that aerial photography, a very clear track of that tornado,” she said.
A tornado in Bathurst on Thursday afternoon. Credit:OnScene
One man, believed to be aged in his 40s, was assessed for an arm injury after the tornado destroyed a property at Meadow Flat, near Lithgow. He was taken to Orange Hospital in a stable condition.
NSW Ambulance Inspector Meah Ferguson said the patient was lucky to have escaped with relatively minor injuries.
“It’s not every day you get called out to a tornado and this one packed quite a punch,” she said.
“When we arrived on scene we found extensive damage to the patient’s dwelling and surrounding areas.”
A man was injured after a tornado hit his property in Meadow Flat, near Lithgow.Credit:NSW Ambulance
In Clear Creek, one male suffered cuts to his face while a female patient had sustained back and neck injuries. She was taken to Bathurst Hospital in a stable condition.
A severe thunderstorm warning was issued at 5pm extending across the state, including Sydney, bringing damaging winds and hail.
Hail stones of up to two centimetres in size were reported on Thursday afternoon in Castle Hill and Pennant Hills, and further thunderstorms are possible on Friday, the bureau said.
Thunderstorms redeveloped over Parramatta on Thursday night, moving towards the south-east.
They were forecast to affect Sydney City, Sydney Airport, Sydney Olympic Park and the Sydney Harbour Bridge by 6.40 pm and Botany, Maroubra and Randwick by 7.10pm.
But conditions “temporarily eased” before they eventuated.
“The redevelopment of severe thunderstorms remains likely,” the bureau said. “The situation is being closely monitored and further detailed warnings will be issued as necessary.”
At 6.45pm, large hail stones and damaging winds were forecast over several hours, stretching from parts of the Northern Rivers region to Sydney. Warnings were cancelled for the South Coast, Southern Tablelands and ACT.
“Locations which may be affected include Grafton, Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie, Taree, Newcastle, Gosford, Sydney, Armidale, Orange, Tamworth, Moree and Dubbo,” the bureau said.
Our Breaking News Alert will notify you of significant breaking news when it happens. Get it here.
Most Viewed in National
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMie2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnNtaC5jb20uYXUvbmF0aW9uYWwvbnN3L3Rvcm5hZG8tcmlwcy10aHJvdWdoLWNlbnRyYWwtd2VzdC1zZXZlcmUtc3Rvcm0td2FybmluZ3MtYWNyb3NzLW5zdy0yMDIxMDkzMC1wNTh3N28uaHRtbNIBAA?oc=5
2021-09-30 07:31:10Z
52781911908177
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Tornado rips through Central West, severe storm warnings across NSW - Sydney Morning Herald"
Post a Comment