NSW storms leave man dead and thousands without power as temperatures soar into 30s

A man has died and thousands have been left without power after New South Wales was hit by damaging wind gusts and thunderstorms. Temperatures in parts of the state soared into the 30s on Wednesday, prompting authorities to raise bushfire alerts to their highest levels in more than two years. A NSW police spokesperson said a man died on Wednesday after being struck by a falling tree in Glenworth valley on the Central Coast. “At the scene, officers were told a 76-year-old man had been struck by the tree after it fell during a storm,” they said in a statement. “NSW Ambulance paramedics rendered assistance to the man; however, he was unable to be revived.” Another man in Orange suffered multiple injuries when a tree fell on his car, according to the ABC. Power outages affected 90,000 customers across the state on Wednesday afternoon after nearly 20,000 lightning strikes and damaging winds, according to Ausgrid. Power outages have resulted in train delays or replacement buses operating on some routes in Sydney. State emergency service crews had responded to more than 1,200 incidents linked to the severe thunderstorms. More than 20 public schools across central NSW were closed on Wednesday after the state’s Rural fire service issued a warning for catastrophic fire danger. Temperatures were forecast to reach a top of 36C in Sydney, and pass 40C in Bourke, in the state’s north-west. By 1.17pm, the town of Walgett in northern NSW had reached 41C. Soon after midday, the Bureau of Meteorology issued a warning for severe thunderstorms heading east, with the potential for damaging winds and hailstorms. By 2pm they had moved on from the Sydney metropolitan area, with the warning area shifting to the mid-north coast, central tablelands, north-west slopes and plains, central west slopes and plains and upper western districts. Earlier in the day, the lower central west plains – including the regional hubs of Dubbo, Parkes and Forbes – were warned of the highest level of bushfire conditions, meaning people there should consider leaving fire risk areas and stay out of paddocks and bushland. No region of NSW has had a catastrophic fire danger forecast since September 2023. Extreme danger warnings were also declared for millions of residents, including those in metropolitan Sydney, as wind gusts of more than 90km/h were expected on Wednesday in southern NSW and Victoria. Trangie research station, an hour’s drive west of Dubbo, recorded wind gusts of 111km/h at midday. “Severe storms are possible right along the coast,” Bureau of Meteorology’s Miriam Bradbury said. Sign up: AU Breaking News email “That extends from the southern parts of the Cape York Peninsula all the way through the eastern districts of Queensland and into the south-east, then pushes down across north-east and central NSW. “So really, for communities which have already seen a few days of very strong, severe storms, this is yet another day of very unsettled weather.” Large parts of Queensland continued to swelter under heatwave conditions, with temperatures 6C to 10C above the November average. Greg Allan, a spokesperson for NSW Rural fire service, said the combination of strong winds, high temperatures and low humidity, together with dry vegetation, meant fires could start quickly and spread rapidly. For those living or working in the lower central west, where catastrophic conditions were forecast, he said: “It’s important to know that homes could be lost if a fire takes hold.” There were 24 bush and grassfires burning on Wednesday morning and all but three were contained, Allan said. Peak fire conditions were expected between 1.30pm to 6pm. Residents in affected areas were advised to keep up to date with advice from emergency services and the BoM. “The most important thing is, for those in the areas of extreme and definitely in the area of catastrophic fire danger, to have that discussion with your loved ones, or those on your property, about what you’ll do if there is a fire,” he said. “Leaving early is always the safest option, particularly in the catastrophic area.” NSW SES Assistant Commissioner Sean Kearns said: “We’re asking people as they leave work this afternoon to avoid any unnecessary travel, and to drive to the conditions.” The BoM’s Sarah Scully said: “[Winds are] combining with warm to hot temperatures and really dry air and that is elevating fire dangers across the region.” Elevated fire conditions would extend into Thursday, a BoM spokesperson said, while the storm risk would contract into the north-east. Total fire bans were in place across much of NSW, and an elevated fire danger was also forecast in the southern interior of Queensland. The warnings of increased bushfire danger come as the country reels from a deadly start to bushfire season. Country fire service member and 30-year firefighter Peter Curtis died on Sunday while battling a scrub fire on the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. Another bushfire in north-east Tasmania has burned since Saturday, with authorities advising people in the Curries River reservoir area to monitor conditions.