Efforts to clear water, remove branches and debris and restore power to battered Sydney homes has begun after massive thunderstorms battered the city overnight. The storms moved east with severe thunderstorms hitting the city and eastern suburbs by nightfall. Images from the city's west showed golf ball-sized hailstones pummelling cars, while almost 20,000 lightning strikes were recorded across the greater Sydney area. Friday is forecast to bring showers and thunderstorms to the state's east possibly extending to the northwestern slopes. Showers are forecast on Saturday extending to northern inland areas while on Sunday showers will likely reach the far northern inland with a chance of thunderstorms in the north.

Source: Otago Daily Times March 14, 2019 19:41 UTC