Mammoth cleanup underway after small NSW town smashed by hailstorm
The east coast of NSW, including most of Sydney, was battered yesterday with biblical rain, severe thunderstorms and hailstones the size of golfballs.
The Bureau of Meteorology said a "stormy and unsettled day" was forecast for large parts of the state – and that certainly was the case.
After the ominous storm clouds rolled in across Sydney, flash flooding and surprise hailstorms caused chaos across NSW.
Now, a big cleanup is underway in the areas hit hardest by storm and hail damage.
See all the photos here.
The sun might be shining now in the small NSW town of Harden, around 125km from Canberra, but yesterday was a very different story.
The community was smashed by a hailstorm as the rest of the east coast battled heavy storms and rainfall.
Harden was among the worst hit in the state after heavy and relentless hail showered down in the main town square, turning the usually busy streets into sleet.
Massive hailstones fell in the area, causing damage to homes and shops, collapsing roofs and smashing windows.
The destructive hailstorm literally brought hailstones to residents' doorsteps yesterday.
Roads were closed as tractors and trucks were brought in to help shift some of the thick hail and ice.
The Bureau of Meteorology recorded 48mm of rain in Harden in just 30 minutes to 6.27am.
Businesses were closed and locals started sandbagging after the rain flooded Murrimboola Creek.
Some of the tough ice and hail sleet was difficult to penetrate even hours after the storm eased.
Cootamundra, in the south-west slopes of NSW, was also battered by some huge hailstones as the storm rolled across the east coast.
It was a wild day for flooding and storms across the east coast and Sydney copped a drenching, making it a rough start to the week for those in the CBD yesterday.
Commuters in Martin Place were soaked by the brief but fierce rainbomb that unleashed across Sydney.
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