Giant hailstones and heavy rain left many Sydneysiders running for shelter on Thursday afternoon.
Dozens huddled under tiny awnings or umbrellas, others sprinted down the street, hoping to avoid getting any wetter than was absolutely necessary, and some chose just to stay where they were and wait it out.
One man faced every motorists’ worst nightmare when he was forced into the rain after his car broke down on a busy road in the city’s CBD.
As he stood in the wild weather waiting for assistance, pictures show a good Samaritan pull up beside him and offer a red umbrella out of the driver’s side window.
A red umbrella given to a drenched man in need has warmed the hearts of Sydneysiders as the city starts to clean up after a monster hail storm (pictured)
The driver of the broken down Toyota Camry, who had to this point been using only a bucket hat for shelter, eagerly accepted the gift and was seen extending it over himself as he walked away.
The images were shared to Reddit by the driver of the car behind them, who was touched to see such a heartwarming display of humanity in such extreme conditions.
Nearby, pub patrons were laughing at a less serious weather emergency.
Two men were filmed standing together under a half-caved in umbrella at The Cricketer’s Arms in Surry Hills, trying desperately to salvage what had been an afternoon in the sun.
Despite the extensive damage caused, many residents found the fun in the extreme weather, with these two friends determined to finish their beer in the courtyard of a city pub (pictured)
The pair were seen holding their belongings close, with three full schooners and an empty jug of beer seen sitting on the table as hail pounded down around it.
One man may have made the mistake of sitting on the wet seat before jumping up off the ground, as he appeared to be missing his pants.
The friends weren’t the only ones having a laugh on Thursday. As Sydney copped its worst hail storm in nearly 20 years, dozens of residents found a way to laugh about it.
Surfers at Bondi Beach were caught out in the water when the devastating storm rolled through.
With a bit of quick thinking the stranded swimmers lifted their surfboards over their heads to protect themselves from the hail.
Surfers at Bondi Beach (pictured) were caught out in the water when the devastating storm rolled through on Thursday afternoon
Footage showed large balls of ice plunging into the water, though a swimmer (pictured) remained in high-spirits
Another resident (pictured) was caught casually walking in a local park during the storm and showed no intention of taking shelter
Footage showed large chunks of ice plunging into the water, though one swimmer remained in high-spirits.
‘No way… here we are in the hail,’ he screamed at the top of his lungs.
Another resident was caught casually walking in a local park during the storm and showed no intention of taking shelter.
With a bottle in one hand he raised both his arms in joy. A couple of bumps on the head from the hail seemed to quickly change his mind and he tried to shelter himself with his arms.
One person stayed well and truly out the storm and snuggled up inside their home, grabbing some hail from outside to chill their drink of whisky on the rocks.
‘Yep a Whiskey on hail to celebrate this messed up Sydney weather!’ the person said in a social media post.
The storm on Thursday was the largest hail storm this side of 1999, The Australian reported.
Back then, hail as big as 9cms in diameter battered the city and racked up $1.7 billion in insurance payouts.
This time around, hailstones as big as 8cms in diameter fell.
Insurance companies have yet to assess the damage in what the Insurance Council of Australia has already declared a catastrophe.
One person stayed well and truly out the storm and cosied up inside their home. Though not before they left the house for a quick second to collect some ice for their whisky (pictured)
The NSW State Emergency Service responded to more than 1,400 jobs within three hours of the storm hitting the area
Insurance companies have yet to assess the damage in what the Insurance Council of Australia has already declared a catastrophe
At least 2,700 customers were left without power in Arncliffe, Bexley and Rockdale, and 1,100 customers in Galston, Hornsby and Mount Colah without access
‘What we’ve seen is a fairly intense storm cell creating pockets of damage in the Sydney metropolitan area and in the southwest and the north,’ an SES spokesman said.
Although the hailstorm lasted a short time, it was long enough to cause chaos across Sydney, the inner west and the NSW central coast.
International and domestic flights at Sydney Airport were delayed or cancelled, trees were uprooted in 90km/h winds and train stations were overcrowded as at least 11 train lines were cancelled or delayed.
Drivers on the M4 were stuck in delays and one lane was closed on the M2 in Sydney’s north.
The NSW State Emergency Service responded to more than 1,400 jobs within three hours of the storm hitting the area.
At least 2,700 customers were left without power in Arncliffe, Bexley and Rockdale, and 1,100 customers in Galston, Hornsby and Mount Colah without access.
The storm on Thursday was the largest hailstorm this side of 1999
International and domestic flights at Sydney Airport were delayed or cancelled, trees were uprooted in 90km/h winds and train stations were overcrowded as at least 11 train lines were cancelled or delayed