Commuters have been gridlocked in traffic for hours as a “very dangerous” thunderstorm bears down on Sydney, unleashing flash floods that have shut roads and wreaked havoc for evening travellers.
Life-threatening flash flooding may hit Parramatta, Olympic Park, Fairfield and the city, the Bureau of Meteorology warned at 7.45pm, as a slow-moving thunderstorm unleashes heavy rain.
Almost 100 millimetres of rain lashed Lidcombe in the two hours leading up to 7.30pm.
Some commuters have been stuck on the Anzac Bridge for up to two hours after rising waters closed parts of the City West Link and Parramatta Road.
Trains were also cancelled for the rest of the night between Lidcombe and Bankstown due to flooding on the tracks at Regents Park.
The rain system described as a “very dangerous thunderstorm” by the Bureau is due to hit parts of the northern beaches, the Hills district and the north-west suburbs at 8.45pm.
A severe weather warning for heavy rainfall is in place across Sydney, parts of the Illawarra and the Blue Mountains.
The SES has warned people in Greater Sydney to stay indoors.
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Angus Dalton is the science reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.
