NSW: Hot humid summer day followed by severe weather warning
21 Jan 2009 6:22 PM
SYDNEY, Jan 21 AAP - After sweltering through another hot and humid summer day, severe weather warnings were issued for Sydney and other parts of NSW.
Temperatures hit a state-wide high of 40 degrees celsius at Penrith, in Sydney's west, and Ivanhoe, in the state's west, on Wednesday.
But by 4.25pm (AEDT), temperatures had dropped by up to 10 degrees and a severe thunderstorm warning for large hailstorms, flash flooding and damaging wind had been put in place for metropolitan Sydney, the Hunter region and the Central Tablelands.
Some delays at Sydney airport were expected with ground crews not allowed out during a storm, an airport spokesman said.
The extent of the delays would be dependent on how long the electrical storm lingered, he said.
Heavy downpours of up to 18mm in 10 minutes were also reported in Sydney's west, with the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) warning that area may also be subjected to wind gusts of up to 90km/h.
CityRail was also forced to suspend trains between Scarborough and Thirroul on the south coast line because of heavy rainfall.
Severe weather forecaster Andrew Haigh said the forecast wind gusts had the potential to cause some damage.
"The storms seem to be staying around western Sydney at the moment," he told AAP.
"They could move over to the east, they have been migrating slowly across, although it is more likely the east will get a few spots of rain rather than any thunder."
Similar weather of hot days followed by stormy evenings is forecast until at least the weekend when a southerly change is expected to hit on Saturday, bringing cooler temperatures from Sunday.
"There is humidity, there's water vapour in the air, and that's providing the fuel for the storms to develop," Mr Haigh said.
"Because the weather systems are fairly slow moving ... the sort of weather pattern is set to repeat pretty much tomorrow.
"There will be some variations but over the next couple of days we expect to see the same sort of weather, fairly hot, fairly humid, followed by thunderstorms in the evening."
Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons warned that higher temperatures this week would increase bushfire risks.
A grassfire burning at Emu Plains in Sydney's west burnt through two hectares before being brought under control, with Rural Fire Service and NSW Fire Brigades crews still on site mopping up.
A total fire ban from midnight Thursday is also in place for the state's south-west around Balranald and Wentworth.
