World · East Asia & Pacific · 1 hr ago
Severe thunderstorms forecast for NSW after man is struck by lightning
A man in his 20s was struck by lightning while swimming at Umina Beach on the New South Wales Central Coast on Saturday.
Bystanders pulled him from the water, and he was taken to hospital in a serious condition before being transferred to Royal North Shore Hospital.
He was in critical but stable condition on Sunday morning, according to a hospital spokesperson.
Storms had already brought heavy rain to parts of New South Wales and Queensland, with winds reaching 98km/h in Goulburn.
Severe thunderstorms were forecast for north-eastern NSW, with hail larger than 5cm and winds above 120km/h possible.
Storms and heavy rain were also possible across a wider area, including Sydney and parts of Queensland.
The storm risk was expected to move north on Monday, bringing possible giant hail, destructive winds and flash flooding to the NSW Northern Rivers and south-eastern Queensland.
More weather warnings were expected as the storms developed.
A man in his 20s was struck by lightning while swimming on the NSW Central Coast on Saturday afternoon and was in a critical but stable condition on Sunday morning.
Severe thunderstorms were forecast for parts of New South Wales on Sunday, with possible giant hail and destructive winds.
The Bureau of Meteorology said storms could bring hail larger than 5cm and winds above 120km/h in north-eastern NSW.
The storm risk was expected to shift towards the NSW Northern Rivers and south-eastern Queensland on Monday.
Sources identify the beach as Ettalong and Umina, respectively.
- Who
- A man in his 20s was struck by lightning while swimming.
- What
- Severe thunderstorms were forecast for NSW, with possible giant hail and destructive winds. The man was in a critical but stable condition on Sunday morning.
- When
- The lightning strike happened on Saturday afternoon; storms were forecast for Sunday and Monday.
- Where
- The strike was on the NSW Central Coast; one source names Ettalong Beach and another names Umina Beach.
- Why
- The forecast storms were linked to a southerly change, a coastal trough and humid conditions.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
A man in his 20s was struck by lightning while swimming on the NSW Central Coast and taken to hospital.
The man was reported to be in a critical but stable condition.
Severe thunderstorms were forecast for parts of NSW, with possible giant hail and destructive winds.
The risk of high-end severe thunderstorms was expected to move into the NSW Northern Rivers and south-eastern Queensland.
- Man’s age
- In his 20s
- Condition on Sunday morning
- Critical but stable
- Possible hail in north-eastern NSW
- Larger than 5cm in diameter
- Possible wind speeds
- In excess of 120km/h
- Forecast shift
- NSW Northern Rivers and south-eastern Queensland on Monday
4 sources
Central coast man in critical condition after 'blue sky' lightning strike
Thunderstorms, giant hail and powerful winds forecast for NSW as wild weather hits east coast
Man struck by lightning while swimming at Central Coast beach
What people are saying
very dangerous and severe thunderstorms
That’s being driven by a southerly change that’s pushing up the New South Wales coast
It came out of the blue, we could see a bit of storm happening towards Palm Beach. Where we were was sunny, clear skies - it really came out of nowhere
My thoughts are with the person injured in the lightning strike at Umina Beach and their family during what must be an incredibly frightening time