Parts of northern New South Wales have been covered in hail during a deluge that could signal of worse to come this storm season.
Key points:
- The SES says the storm season appears to have arrived early in the Northern Rivers
- The service is expecting more calls for assistance tonight
- Residents are urged to start preparing their properties for storms to come
The State Emergency Service has received about 20 calls for assistance since the hailstorm hit the far North Coast this afternoon.
The Bureau of Meteorology reported hailstones of up to 4 centimetres in diameter falling at Murwillumbah at about 3pm.
SES public information officer Scott McLennan said people needed help to deal with overflowing gutters, skylights broken by hail, and roofs damaged by falling trees.
Mr McLennan said hail started to fall at Grafton at about 5:30pm and was particularly heavy in some outlying areas.
“As the storm cell starts to move away and people get home from work, they’re starting to see whether there’s any damage in and around their properties,” he said.
“So we’re still expecting a few more requests for assistance to be called in this evening.”
‘Timely reminder’
Mr McLennan said it was a sign the storm season was getting underway in the region.
“Here in the Northern Rivers we are all very much accustomed to storms and Mother Nature seems to have caught us a little bit earlier this year,” he said.
“Our typical storm season is from September through to March.”
The BOM cancelled a severe thunderstorm warning for the Northern Rivers and Northern Tablelands at 3:43pm, but said it was continuing to monitor the situation.
Mc McLennan urged residents to take care on the roads tonight, avoid driving if they could, and start turning their minds to what could lie ahead.
“Given that it has been a fairly calm period over the last couple of months, it’s now just a good timely reminder that everyone take the opportunity to prepare their properties for storm activity,” he said.
“The NSW SES volunteers right up and down the Northern Rivers and the Clarence Valley are here for the community if they need us and if they do need assistance they should always call us on 132 500.”
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