SEVERE WEATHER IN SYDNEY Flights disrupted

Posted on 12/16/2015 | About Sydney, Australia

Flights to and from Sydney are being delayed and diverted due to severe thunderstorms. The airport was still open but some flights were grounded and other incoming flights were diverted to airports elsewhere in Australia.

A spokeswoman said the delays were mainly because it was unsafe for ground staff to be on the tarmac. The worst area affected was the suburb of Kurnell on the southern headland of Botany Bay in Sydney's south, where a tornado left a trail of destruction. Winds of up to 213km/h ripped roofs off homes and offices, overturned cars, brought down trees and power lines and left 20,000 properties without power.

Weather experts said these were the most destructive winds ever recorded in New South Wales. Wind gusts of 142 km/h were recorded at Botany Bay and Little Bay, eight miles south of Sydney's central business district. Hailstones the size of golfballs were reported at the beachside suburb of Cronulla.

Shoppers were evacuated from a shopping centre at Bondi after a section of the roof collapsed. Weather experts are warning of further winds, heavy rainfall and flash floods north of Sydney.