- Flick through the photos above for a look at Saturday’s thrashing
- As it happened: hail, thunderstorms hit the Illawarra
Forecasters had warned Saturday afternoon's storms would be severe - and they weren't wrong.
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Three people were taken to hospital after being hit by lightning at Bowral and hail - some more than three centimetres in diameter - pelted homes and cars across Wollongong.
After what could be described as a dull Illawarra storm season to date, the dark clouds rolled in early afternoon - bringing with them bursts of heavy rain and hail.
At 3.46pm on Saturday, a Bureau of Meteorology-issued severe thunderstorm warning for the Greater Wollongong area warned of destructive winds, large hailstones and heavy rainfall that could lead to flash flooding.
"This thunderstorm is very dangerous," the bureau said of one particular storm cell approaching Wollongong, Bulli and Port Kembla from the west.
Earlier, the same storm system had dumped golf ball-sized hail at Bowral.
Hail three centimetres in diameter was later recorded at Mount Kembla, about 4pm.
Dozens of Mercury readers - from Cordeaux Heights and Unanderra to Berkeley and Warrawong - reported hail pelting their homes and cars.
“Never seen hail as big as this in Farmborough Heights in 10 years,” Jenny White wrote on the Mercury’s Facebook page.
The most-serious incident was at Bowral, where three sisters aged in their 60s were thrown from a park bench by the force of a lightning strike.
One in the trio, aged 61, was knocked unconscious by the strike. She was revived and later airlifted to Royal North Shore Hospital in a critical condition
The SES responded to 50 calls for help during Saturday afternoon, mainly from the Wollongong and Wingecarribee areas.
SES region controller Greg Murphy said most of the calls were related to hail and flooding rain entering properties.
“The areas around western Wollongong, Farmborough Heights - it seems that’s where the bulk of the hail was and the rest of the areas had certainly their share of rain,” Mr Murphy said.
Skylights, pergolas and cars copped the full force of the hail, although there was no major infrastructure damage, he said.
SES crews managed to complete all the jobs by about midnight.
Rainfall totals were varied, with 27mm recorded at Albion Park between 1.30pm and 8pm on Saturday.
In the same period, Bellambi recorded 14mm, while Kiama had 9.8mm.
The Illawarra was spared the worst of Mother Nature's fury, with Kellyville and Rouse Hill, in Sydney's north-west, among the worst affected by the severe weather conditions.
Three Illawarra/South Coast SES teams - from St Georges Basin, Nowra and Kiama - have been sent to assist the clean-up in western Sydney on Sunday.
SES crews from Wollongong and Coniston assisted their Sydney counterparts on Saturday, with many jobs from Friday's storms still outstanding when the second bout of storms moved in.
Mr Murphy urged residents to ensure their homes were prepared "before the next lot of storms come".
"Check those gutters, make sure everything’s tied down; things like trampolines and loose furniture," he said.
Andrew Pearson
Andrew grew up in the western Riverina town of Hay and has strong ties to the region. He is a former DA journo who has a passion for breaking news and has covered everything from council and politics to crime and court.
Andrew grew up in the western Riverina town of Hay and has strong ties to the region. He is a former DA journo who has a passion for breaking news and has covered everything from council and politics to crime and court.
