The strong and unusually high winds hit Kurnell just after 10.30am on Wednesday along with heavy rain and hail the size of golf balls. Photo / Twitter / @BOM_NSW
The strong and unusually high winds hit Kurnell just after 10.30am on Wednesday along with heavy rain and hail the size of golf balls. Photo / Twitter / @BOM_NSW
Sydney's desalination plant has been damaged and three people are injured after a tornado tore through the city's south with winds of more than 200km/h.
The desalination plant in Kurnell was evacuated after reportedly sustaining significant damage and workers were also cleared out of the Caltex refinery.
The strong andunusually high winds hit Kurnell just after 10.30am on Wednesday along with heavy rain and hail the size of golf balls.
A second storm cell was moving north up the coast and expected to hit Wollongong around 12.30pm.
A 40-year-old man suffered head injuries in Kurnell and ambulance NSW said officers treated two other people.
They were all transferred to Sutherland Hospital in a stable condition.
Sydney airport was closely monitoring the storm activity with passengers being advised to check flight details with their airlines, an airport spokeswoman said.
Qantas has delayed some flights until the storm clears up.
• A violently rotating column of air, in contact with the ground, often visible as a funnel-shaped cloud. • Rare in Australia but can happen with almost any severe thunderstorm, and occur most commonly in late spring and summer. • Range in size from a few tens of metres across to around a kilometre in diameter.
HOW COMMON?
• Between 10 and 20 are sighted in Australia every year. • 364 tornadoes have occurred across NSW from 1795 to June 2003.
• Need intense, sustained updraught. • Strong change in wind speed and/or direction. • Strong winds at cloud-top level.
WHERE DO THEY FORM?
• Mostly near the back of a thunderstorm, usually to the west.
WHAT'S IT LIKE?
• Heavy rain and hail first. • A violent wind lasting from several seconds to two minutes as it passes. • While you can hear sounds caused by damage, many tornadoes are silent. • After storm, some light rain or hail can occur, along with cooler winds.
TYPES OF TORNADOES
• Weak tornadoes are most likely during mid-summer thunderstorms, but can occur during winter months in southern Australia. Strong tornadoes typically happen with late spring/early summer.
HOW FAST DO THEY MOVE?
• Tornadoes travel with a thunderstorm cloud at about the same speed and direction - around 30-50km/h. • If a vigorous cold front is near, they may reach speeds of 80-100km/h. • Once formed, their motion is dependent on the movement of the parent thunderstorm. • Generally agreed they don't exceed 450km/h.
RECENT INCIDENTS
• Victorian State Emergency Services were prompted to issue a tornado warning after severe storms and flash flooding hit the northern suburbs of Melbourne on November 5. No major damage occurred. • Severe thunderstorms brought on a mini tornado in western NSW on August 25, hitting Dubbo in the late afternoon. Some properties were damaged by the tornado.
