Sydney is being smashed by a freak summer storm with windscreen-shattering hail, torrential rain, lightning and devastating winds.
Commuters on their way home from work and Christmas shoppers were forced to sprint for cover as tennis ball-sized chunks of hail pelted down across the city.
Sydney Airport has reported serious disruptions already, with hour-long flights delays and passengers urged to check with their airlines for delays.
Planes are not landing at the airport, according to Air Services Australia.
Major train stations have reportedly turned into ‘war zones’, as desperate commuters contending with peak hour madness try to escape the storm.
‘Town Hall station is a war zone with thousands of people trying to get into the station and thousands more people qandering aimlessly and stopping at random moments in their slow walk,’ one person tweeted.
Severe storms have hit Sydney for the second time in two days leaving commuters stranded and flights grounded
Lightning lit up the sky after 4.30pm, with storms expecting to rage throughout the night
Sydney is being smashed by a freak summer storm with windscreen-shattering hail, torrential rain, lightning and devastating winds
Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Jake Phillips told Daily Mail Australia that the worst of the storm had already hit Sydney, but ‘it is not over yet’.
Mr Phillips said that the current storm is moving quickly, with multiple systems sweeping east across the Harbour city.
The volatile weather is forecast to last for at least the new few hours.
Ross Anderson, from Moorebank, near Liverpool, said the storm hit his home around 4.45pm and damaged his car
Mr Anderson was affected by the storm and told Daily Mail Australia: ‘It sounded like the roof was going to cave in’
Mr Anderson shared pictures of his car with the rear windshield damaged due to the giant hail (pictured)
The State Emergency Service has urged people to move their cars under shelter and stay indoors if possible.
Ross Anderson, from Moorebank, near Liverpool, said the storm hit his home around 4.45pm and damaged one of his vehicles.
He told Daily Mail Australia: ‘It sounded like the roof was going to cave in.’
Mr Anderson’s car wasn’t the only vehicle damaged by the giant hail that struck Sydney on Thursday night
More damage ahead: Ausgrid has reported service outages on their Twitter page. According to their social media there are 2,700 customers without power in Arncliffe, Bexley and Rockdale
Mr Anderson shared pictures of his car with the rear windshield damaged due to the hail.
The rear window was left with dents and a gaping hole thanks to the massive chunks of ice.
He said that the hail was small at first, before larger stones began to fall.
Ausgrid has reported service outages on their Twitter page.
According to their social media there are 2,700 customers without power in Arncliffe, Bexley and Rockdale.
Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Jake Phillips said there are several storms expected for the evening
There are also 1,100 customers in Galston, Hornsby and Mount Colah without access.
Weather experts said Thursday morning’s clear skies and warm temperatures were simply ‘the calm before the storm’.
Sydney Airport is facing delays of up to 60 minutes, with various flights cancelled and diverted due to the storm.
Weatherzone senior meteorologist Jacob Cronje said the storm could hit Sydney about 4pm.
‘It’s quite likely there will be some severe thunderstorms over parts of Sydney today, very similar to yesterday,’ he said.
Sydney was struck by a severe storm Wednesday evening in which at least one plane was grounded after it was hit by lightning as it approached the airport.
Mr Cronje said Sydney Airport could be in the firing line again this afternoon.
‘It looks like the forecast for the airport, they’re expecting thunderstorms from around 3pm possibly, or possible thunderstorms from then on,’ he said.
‘It looks like mid-afternoon we’re going to see some stuff bubble up and warnings issued.’
Mr Cronje admitted the conditions felt ‘unrelenting’ but said the recurring storms were not uncommon for the season.
The Bureau of Meteorology also predicted another storm would hit the NSW capital this afternoon.
‘Another stormy day expected across parts of NSW today with the possibility of severe thunderstorms,’ the bureau said.
Mr Anderson’s rear windshield was also severely chipped by the giant hail
Sydney, the Hunter Valley and the NSW mid-north coast were pummelled by Wednesday evening’s storm.
Large hailstones, heavy rainfall and damaging winds were forecast for the state’s north coast and west to Walgett, the Bureau of Meteorology warned at 8.45pm.
Passengers on-board a flight which was reportedly struck by lightning took to social media to express their terror as the plane was rocked by the bolt.
Sydney Airport is facing delays of up to 60 minutes, with various flights cancelled and diverted due to the storm
Both domestic and international flights have been affected by the severe storm battering Sydney
Major train stations have reportedly turned into ‘war zones’, as desperate commuters contending with peak hour madness try to escape the storm
Mr Phillips said that the current storm is moving quickly and is expected to head out to within the half hour
‘Our plane got hit by lightning on approach to Sydney just then,’ Nicolas Rakotopare tweeted.
‘Loud bang and lightning hitting the left wing.’
Another passenger wrote: ‘Our plane was hit by lightning on approach, much louder than I would have thought.’
Air Services said they did not receive any reports of lightning striking a plane.
According to estimates from the Bureau of Meteorology, there were a staggering 7,000 lightning strikes per hour in a 50km radius around Richmond throughout the evening.
The Bureau of Meteorology said they are expecting another storm in a tweet on Thursday morning
There were around 100 strikes within ten kilometres of Sydney Airport.
A house on Tulipwood Drive in Colyton in Sydney’s west was also struck by lighning during the storm, NSW Fire and Rescue confirmed.
About 1,000 homes lost power around Hornsby in northern Sydney and a further 500 homes in Dural in the city’s west were also affected.
Sydney was one of the cities to be worst hit by the storms with Coffs Harbour, Gosford, Armidale, Tamworth and Narrabri also receiving a lashing.
Scone, in the upper Hunter, recorded 36mm of rain in half an hour on Wednesday night and winds up to 114 km/h were recorded at Merriwa.
Dust was also whipped up by thunderstorms at Dubbo earlier in the afternoon.
Sydney Airport has reported serious disruptions already, with hour-long flights delays and passengers urged to check with their airlines for delays