A NSW SES volunteer died during the shocking Sydney storm.The death, confirmed by the SES in a statement on Wednesday afternoon, was the second death during the intense storm, which has also caused traffic chaos across Sydney.
Seven News has reported the volunteer was a man in his 40s, who died while assisting with the clean-up effort in Flinders, south of Wollongong.
Two police officers were also injured during the storm after a tree came down on them as they tried to help drivers trapped by flood waters in North Ryde.
Further wild weather – including storms, flash flooding and possible hail – is expected to soak Sydney on Wednesday night.
The NSW State Emergency Service has received more than 100 calls for help and 15 rescues.
The weather grounded more than 130 flights as a month’s worth of rain dumped on Sydney in just two hours.
Rob Taggart from the Bureau of Meteorology told the ABC it's the wettest November day since 1984 and the wettest day since April 2015.
With 91mm falling in 90 minutes, Mr Taggart described it as "basically the equivalent of a one in 100 year event".
Hundreds of people were evacuated in Queensland
Mandatory evacuations of eight thousand residents of Gracemere in Queensland are under way as a wildfire bears down on homes in catastrophic fire conditions.
Despite the extreme danger, some residents are refusing to leave and businesses are still trading in the Central Queensland community.
The Gracemere BP petrol station remains open as people fleeing the fire call in for petrol and supplies.
BP staffer Trulie Lynch said people she had seen were very stressed.
The large fire that sparked shortly before 3pm on Wednesday has raced towards Gracemere, just south of Rockhampton .
Queensland Police Commissioner Ian Stewart told people to immediately make for the Rockhampton showgrounds around 14km away, where an evacuation centre has been set up.
"Can I please encourage everyone who is listening to this who has family in that area, if you are picking up the kids, don't go home, go to the Showgrounds at Rockhampton," Mr Stewart said.
The commissioner urged people not to panic and not to be worried if the roads were busy, as moving 8000 people in a hurry was difficult, with police working to move traffic as smoothly as possible.
Queensland Fire Commissioner Katarina Carroll said the sudden flare-up was a sign of how volatile and dangerous conditions had become on Wednesday.
"This is what we have been saying all along. We will see more fires flare up very quickly. This is the start of it," Ms Carroll said.
Queensland State Disaster Coordinator Deputy Commissioner Bob Gee said people had to get out immediately.
"The best advice is I wouldn't pack anything, just pick up the kids and head towards the Rockhampton Showgrounds, you will be safe, there will be plenty of people to look after you.
"If it was me, I would go right now. Straight away."
Queensland's fire conditions on Wednesday were "catastrophic," the first time it had ever been escalated to that level.
A massive bushfire that has destroyed homes and sent 1500 people fleeing continues to rage amid catastrophic conditions in Queensland's Deepwater region but most people have managed to escape.
The firestorm between Gladstone and Bundaberg has destroyed four houses, razed other structures and thousands of hectares of bush and farmland, but some locals have ignored urgent orders to leave.
State disaster coordinator Bob Gee warned them early on Wednesday that the blaze was extremely dangerous and the fire risk was at catastrophic level for the first time ever.
The combination of heat, wind and dry thunderstorms with lightning are sparking unpredictable blazes.
Almost 140 fires are now raging across the state, including a massive bushfire in the Deepwater region which has been described as a "firestorm", and which has sparked mass evacuations.
Source AAP
