Thousands of Australians without power and flash flood warnings in place after ‘bomb cyclone’
‘Bomb cyclone’ causes flooding, power outages in Australia’s east
- A powerful coastal storm has caused widespread disruption across eastern Australia, leading to significant flooding, power outages, and transport chaos in NSW.
- The “bomb cyclone”, described as a vigorous coastal low by the Bureau of Meteorology, intensified with over 150mm of rain and winds up to 125kmph, with warnings for damaging winds and dangerous surf continuing.
- Key concerns include rising rivers, advice-level flood warnings for areas like Camden and Penrith, and the Warragamba Dam nearing capacity, threatening downstream flooding.
- Around 30,000 homes and businesses experienced power outages, with nearly 9,000 still without electricity, while Sydney Airport saw 140 flight cancellations and major disruptions to rail and ferry services.
- Emergency services have responded to nearly 3,400 incidents, including flood rescues, as experts note the increasing frequency of such severe weather events, linked to unusually warm ocean waters.