Heavy rain and damaging winds are expected to lash large
parts of NSW as a storm front moves north.
A severe thunderstorm warning is in place for the remainder
of Christmas for the north-west slopes and plains, northern
tablelands and parts of the northern rivers, mid-north coast,
and upper western forecast districts.
"Severe thunderstorms are likely to produce heavy rainfall
that may lead to flash flooding and damaging winds in the
warning area over the next several hours," the Bureau of
Meteorology said when it issued the warning at 7.35pm (local
time) yesterday.
Residents of towns including Scone, Armidale, Tenterfield,
Glen Innes, Inverell, Tamworth, Gunnedah, Moree, Narrabri,
Walgett, Mungindi and Lightning Ridge are being warned to
batten down the hatches.
A spokesman for the NSW State Emergency Service (SES) said
that by 6.30pm the service had received about 50 calls on
Christmas Day.
Most of these calls were for help patching up minor property
damage and no injuries had been reported, he said.
The SES has warned residents to secure loose items around
homes and gardens, keep pets and children indoors during the
storm, and keep clear of creeks, storm drains and fallen
power lines.
A severe thunderstorm warning for the Hunter region was later
cancelled, as was an earlier storm warning for the central
tablelands and central west slopes and plains districts.
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