Sydney Storms Light Up City After Record Heat

Sydney has been hit by spectacular storms, interrupting a run of stifling weather that included the city’s hottest day in 79 years.

A series of storms rolled across the city on Monday and Tuesday.

Lightning and thunder woke locals early on Tuesday and prompted much discussion online, despite meteorologists rating the storm as not especially severe.

More than 4,000 lightning strikes were recorded across the city, according to weather tracking companies.

“This is quite a lot, especially for early-morning thunderstorms,” said Weatherzone senior meteorologist Jacob Cronje.

“It’s not uncommon, it’s just less common,” he said.

The storms brought a small reprieve after temperatures peaked at 47.3C (117F) in Sydney’s west on Sunday, with many people posting images and comments online.

Sydney man Dave Rasmus was woken before dawn, describing the storm as “flashes and bangs, it was almost like daylight at some stages”.

The weather affected transportation and forced delays to a match at the Sydney International tennis tournament.

Image captionThe storm is seen behind a match at the Sydney International tennis tournament

State emergency services said they had received more than 150 calls for help.

An elderly woman was rescued after her house caught on fire possibly due to lightning, local media reported.