By LISA MILLER
December 14, 2004
SYDNEY was thrown into chaos yesterday afternoon by a severe storm which closed the Central Coast and Illawarra rail lines and caused delays to flights at the airport.
Suburbs in the south were pelted with hailstones the size of golf balls when the storm hit at about 3.30pm.
Damage to a power line at Asquith station forced the cancellation of all trains between Hornsby and Gosford from about 5pm.
A CityRail spokesman said thousands of commuters were forced to rely on bus services to the Central Coast, with lengthy delays experienced.
The Illawarra line between Thirroul and Waterfall was also out of action for about two hours, with buses replacing trains, and delays of up to 20 minutes were experienced across the network.
A severe weather warning issued by the Bureau of Meteorology forced the grounding of all flights in and out of Sydney airport for 55 minutes yesterday afternoon.
A spokeswoman for Sydney Airport Corporation said flights resumed as normal at 4.45pm after the warning was lifted, but a trickle-on effect meant some delays were expected throughout the night.
Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Peter Dunda said a severe hailstorm hit the southern Sydney suburb of Engadine about 3.30pm, before moving north through Rockdale and Mascot. Storms also developed in Parramatta, Liverpool, Campbelltown, Richmond and Bankstown.
The State Emergency Service received 63 calls for assistance by 5.50pm, with most of the damage caused by hail and falling trees in the Sutherland and Bankstown areas.
Patricia Purcell from the SES southern division said the worst damage occurred at the Narwee pre-school kindergarten, where a section of the roof collapsed.
Kindergarten worker Debbie Lee said a hole about 5m wide was inflicted when the roof collapsed during strong winds.
"Luckily none of the children were in the room at the time, so mostly it's just been water damage to furniture and carpet," she said.
Bureau senior forecaster David Williams said the week's worth of rain was caused by a low pressure trough, which also caused the floods around Narrabri and Wee Waa.
"We've had much more moisture than normal for this time of the year. The humidity levels have been what you would normally expect to get in late summer rather than early in the season," he said.
Five local council areas affected by floods were yesterday declared natural disaster areas, but the rain which fell across NSW in the past week has been greeted with relief in many parts of the state.
Farmers in the South Coast and Monaro regions, who just last week were relying on donated hay to feed their livestock, are rejoicing at the sight of lush green pastures, ensuring enough feed for the summers.
Water supplies on the Far North Coast have been boosted, and summer plantings in the northwest are also expected to benefit.
But it is still too early to assess the damage caused by the floods around Wee Waa and Narrabri to the cotton crops, on which the area is heavily dependent.
The State Government declared Narrabri, Gunnedah, Moree Plains, Gwydir and Liverpool Plains shire council areas to be natural disaster zones following flooding from the Barwon, Namoi and Gwydir rivers on the weekend.
