A band of fast-moving thunderstorms has swept over Sydney and parts of eastern NSW, briefly drenching and buffeting those caught outside.
The Bureau of Meteorology still has a severe weather warning out for the north-east corner of NSW for destructive winds and large hail stones. It has cancelled a severe weather alert for the Sydney metro area.
Emergency services converged on Kurri Kurri in the Hunter after a community centre partially collapsed during severe weather shortly after 2pm.
Extensive damage left behind by a chaotic storm in Kurri Kurri this afternoon. #kurrikurri #7News pic.twitter.com/jIfEYAfeWz??? 7 News Sydney (@7NewsSydney) November 6, 2017
Firefighters said the roof of the Kurri Kurri Community Centre had caved in during a thunderstorm that also brought down trees in the area.
Paramedics transported two people to hospital with minor injuries.
More than 3000 homes were without power in Weston, Pelaw Main, Kurri Kurri, Mulbring and Maitland. The Department of Education said Kurri Kurri Public School would be closed on Monday due to storm damage.
Two people injured after Kurri Kurri smashed by storm https://t.co/g1vrKPRlf8 via @maitlandmercury??? Lachie Leeming (@LeemingLachie) November 6, 2017
"The main risk is damaging winds," Andrew Haigh, a duty forecaster at the bureau, said before the storms hit Sydney at around 1pm.
The rapid pace of the storms, though, meant most areas avoided falls of much more than 5mm.
Exceptions included areas near Sydney Airport such as Sans Souci, which collected about 10mm more from the event, Brett Dutschke, a senior meteorologist with Weatherzone, said.
"We're as good as done" for storms in Sydney for the rest of Monday, he said, adding the next chance of showers will probably be on Tuesday evening.
#timelapse of storms rolling across Sydney into Northern Beaches #SydneyWeather pic.twitter.com/NRIG1dQGX5??? Nick Moir (@nampix) November 6, 2017
In the meantime, the shift of winds to the south will mean dry if cooler conditions prevail.
The chance of brief lightning and a storm remains for the northern beaches for a bit longer in the afternoon, he said.
The storms brought some short-lived but wild conditions for some parts of the city.
Air travellers would have experienced a bumpy ride coming into and out of Sydney Airport, where visibility was also severely reduced.
Heavy rain reduced visibility to less than 400m at #SydneyAirport this afternoon. Photo: Amanda Beach pic.twitter.com/WXXlS6397F??? Weatherzone (@weatherzone) November 6, 2017
The Bureau's Mr Haigh said the source of the instability was a low-pressure system that crossed the NSW south coast. A trough associated with the low extended all the way into the state's north-west.
Sydney's recent odd weather included the least sunny weekend for 17 months, and it was also the city's coldest November weekend in 11 years, Mr Dutschke said.
For places such as Penrith and Richmond, it was also the coolest November weekend in 21 years.
Weatherzone: Sydney radar
???The bureau has a separate warning out for damaging winds and heavy rainfall for parts of the south coast, with some locations in line for as much as 150 mm of rain over a 12-hour period.
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