Wild storms hit Sydney as a shopping centre ROOF collapses and cars float down the road after 19mm of rain fell in just 15 minutes
- Western Sydney has been battered by a wild storm about 5pm on Monday
A wild storm that swept through Sydney’s west on Monday afternoon has brought heavy rain, hail and strong winds causing a shopping centre roof to collapse.
Penrith and surrounding areas were battered by the storm about 5pm which dumped 19mm of rain in just under 15 minutes and brought winds of up to 90km/h.
There were reports of flash flooding which left some motorists stranded and the roof of the Nepean Shopping Centre collapsed under the weight of the deluge.
The storm hit numerous suburbs including Penrith, St Marys and Glenmore Park and also further west towards the Blue Mountains, including Katoomba, Blaxland and Leura.
Flash flooding in Penrith put streets underwater with motorist stranded (pictured)
The storm brought hail which battered suburbs surrounding Penrith and towards the Blue Mountains (pictured)
The freak storm barrelled through Western Sydney about 5pm on Monday (pictured)
Fire and Rescue NSW said at 6pm they had received numerous call-outs and were already providing assistance.
The storm was one of three storm cells moving over the region on Monday afternoon.
The Bureau of Meteorology issued a severe weather warning just before 7pm as the the storm moved further north.
‘At 6:50 pm, severe thunderstorms were detected on the weather radar near Hornsby and Glenorie,’ the Bureau said.
‘These thunderstorms are moving towards the east. and they are forecast to affect Terrey Hills by 7:05 pm and Brooklyn, Maroota and Mona Vale by 7:20 pm.’
The Bureau said damaging winds, large hailstones, and heavy rainfall were likely and residents should secure loose items and stay away from storm drains and fallen power lines.
About 19mm of rain was dumped in Sydney’s west in under 15 minutes on Monday afternoon causing flooding (pictured)
Firefighters at the Nepean Chopping Centre assessing the damage (pictured) and there have been no reports of injuries
Firefighters rushed to the Nepean Shopping Centre after the roof collapsed under the weight of the deluge (pictured)
The storm also brought strong winds and hail with drivers rushing to get under cover (pictured)
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