Flash floods hit Sydney by Tomasz Schafernaker
Severe thunderstorms caused flash flooding across parts of eastern Sydney on Sunday night as torrential rain and hail overwhelmed city streets, trapping cars.
Nearly 100mm (3.9 inches) of rain fell during the storm, which lasted only a few hours. This was almost three quarters of the total rainfall which is usually expected throughout the month of April.
The New South Wales Fire Brigade were inundated with calls as the storms moved inland from the east coast during Sunday evening. A senior forecaster from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology said the flooding was the result of slow-moving thunderstorms.
Much of Australia is suffering from what is said to be one of the worst droughts in 100 years and while any rain is certainly welcomed, this type of rain is not always beneficial. With the ground being so dry, short and intense bursts of rain often lead to run off and flash flooding.
The storms moved north into southeast Queensland during Monday, but have now weakened considerably.
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