‘Unbelievable damage’: three dead after ferocious storms cause ‘carnage’ along Australia’s east coast
The Bureau of Meteorology said a combination of rain, wind and wave action had combined to create the extreme conditions.
Wild weather which has smashed into Australia’s east coast and whipped up giant waves on Sydney beaches has left at least three people dead and others missing, police said on Monday as the clean-up began.
Ferocious storms pounded the coast over the weekend, causing flooding in New South Wales while huge seas resulted in coastal erosion, in one instance sweeping away the in-ground swimming pool of a beachside home.
The ferocity of this storm was such that the damage has been unbelievable up and down the coast
“This storm, which was so ferocious, has taken life from us,” New South Wales Premier Mike Baird said as he warned that conditions remained dangerous.
“Up and down the coast this has caused carnage. It is clear – the ferocity of this storm was such that the damage has been unbelievable up and down the coast.”
The Bureau of Meteorology said a combination of rain, wind and wave action had combined to create the extreme conditions.
One part of Sydney suffered its worst flooding in 30 years, while the city’s Observatory Hill weather station received some 226mm of rain over the weekend – well above the average monthly rainfall for June of 131.9mm.
The bureau said a wind gust in excess of 115km/h was recorded in Sydney Harbour during the storm, while two of the three runways of Sydney Airport were closed due to the high winds.