'Wicked' storms illuminate Sydney skyline with lightning flashes

Courtney Spamer
·2 min read

A potent front pushed through Sydney, Australia, on Tuesday night, bringing with it an intense lightning show and powerful winds.

The power was cut to many throughout the city as gusty winds brought down trees and power lines.

Energy company Ausgrid reported that the lightning storm was affecting the electricity network. They listed that more than 25,000 properties were without power as of 11:30 p.m. local time, according to 9News.

Another utility company, Endeavour Energy, reported that the storms cut power to more than 21,000 customers.

As the storms moved through, the Sydney Morning Herald reported that trains in the city were experiencing major delays.

The New South Wales Police said that, due to the severe storms, they advised residents to "take extra care" before heading out in the morning.

"Trees and power lines have come down causing havoc right across the Sydney region," the police stated.

Trees were reportedly down on the railway lines, and winds and lightning affected the infrastructure.

The Rural Fire Service of Hornsby Heights tweeted that they were out trying to clear trees and power lines from roadways.

As the storms went through, airport delays continued to mount. Flight-tracking service FlightAware reported delays of about one hour at Sydney Airport around midnight.

Multiple wind gusts of 79 km/h (49 mph) were reported at the airport. An even higher gust was reported at Richmond Air Force Base, northwest of Sydney, where a gust of 101 km/h (63 mph) was observed.

Storms approached late in the afternoon in southern Australia after moving through the Melbourne area earlier Tuesday.

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The gusty thunderstorms on Tuesday night stretched as far inland as Dubbo and continued moving northeastward.

This line of thunderstorms came after some gusty winds and storms brought down trees on Feb. 8. This system, along with recent rains, have recently contained the many bushfires that were burning across southern Australia since the beginning of the summer.

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