Lightning bolts, thunder and wind gusts signalled the arrival of the storm season in Mudgee on Monday when the area was battered by an afternoon thunderstorm.
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Strong north west and westerly wind gusts began to lash Mudgee from around 3pm, which peaked at 69km/h around an hour later with that speed being recorded four times in the eight minutes leading up to 4pm.
The storm was the largest contribution to the 12mm of rain that was recorded in the area in the 24 hours to 9am on Tuesday.
The wild weather resulted in one call out for the local State Emergency Service (SES) Unit at around 5pm for a leaking roof after some tiles had been shifted.
The cause was a low pressure trough and cold front which brought thunderstorms to a number of areas of NSW as it made its way across the state, bringing heavy rain, strong winds, as well as damaging surf on the coast and hail in some areas.
Those nearest to the ocean were hardest hit and thousands of homes across Sydney, the central coast and south coast lost electricity due to the severe weather.
The NSW SES said it received more than 100 calls for help on Monday from western and south-western Sydney for fallen trees and damage caused by hail and flash flooding.
In Mudgee, wind gusts began to pick up again around 7.25pm on Monday evening and peaked at 43km/h at 10pm but wasn’t as severe as the afternoon storm and brought a sunny Tuesday morning.
It was a reminder that October to March is storm season when this weather is most likely to occur.
For more information on how to prepare your home head to the SES Stormsafe website at www.stormsafe.com.au, and for emergency help in storms and floods call the NSW SES on 132 500, dial 000 in life threatening emergencies.
