Powerful storms prompt evacuation on Sydney’s northern beaches; one woman dead

Powerful summer storms have battered Sydney’s east coast, prompting an emergency evacuation order for parts of the city’s northern beaches and leaving at least one woman dead after a tree branch fell on her car.

Residents at Narrabeen Lagoon and surrounding areas were told to leave as more than a dozen people were rescued across Sydney and cars were submerged and homes flooded. A landslide at Great Mackerel Beach damaged multiple homes and injured at least one woman.

The woman who died was killed on Saturday at Macquarie Pass when a tree branch fell on her car; the front passenger suffered minor injuries. The New South Wales State Emergency Service recorded more than 800 calls for help after heavy rain.

Senior meteorologist Edward Townsend-Medlock said more heavy rainfall was expected from Sydney’s northern suburbs through to the Hunter coast on Sunday morning and that the concentrated area could see severe thunderstorm cells similar to those observed on the Central Coast.

Key Topics

World, Sydney, Narrabeen Lagoon, Great Mackerel Beach, Macquarie Pass, State Emergency Service