Downpour continues in NSW after week of wild weather

Heavy rain and gale-force winds continue to lash parts of Australia's east coast after one of the country's most intense storm days of the season yesterday.

However Brisbane and Sydney will see much calmer conditions, with storms expected to clear further later today.

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The Bureau of Meteorology ended its severe thunderstorm warning for Sydney, Hunter and the Illawarra just before 9am this morning after a similar warning for Queenslanders finished late last night.

However, a marine wind warning remains in place for most of the NSW coastline, from Coffs Harbour in the north to the Illawarra in the south.

A week of wet weather continues for Sydney today, with 11mm of rain already recorded in Parramatta in the hour since 9am.

However, relief is in sight with the rain expected to ease this afternoon ahead of clear skies tomorrow, although conditions will remain cool with tops of 20C.

Brisbane appears to have left yesterday's wild weather far behind, with clear skies and tops of 33C forecast for today.

https://twitter.com/BOM_NSW/status/1322665071823200258?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

However, a strong wind warning remains in place for the Sunshine Coast Waters and Gold Coast Waters.

Yesterday's "life-threatening" conditions brought palm-sized hail stones and wind gusts of up to 115km/h.

Huge hail stones up to 13cm in diameter fell in the Hillcrest area south of Brisbane.

Some were heavy enough to shatter car windscreens, while gale-force wind gusts of up to 105km/h whipping through the Byron and Moreton Bay areas.

The strongest wind gust was recorded at Cape Moreton on Moreton Island, where gusts went up to 115km/h.

https://twitter.com/JordanFabris9/status/1322415738603278337?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

There were about 160,000 lightning strikes in the Gold Coast, Brisbane and Sunshine Coast areas up until 5pm yesterday.

Meanwhile in Sydney, among the hardest-hit suburbs was Lucas Heights in the south, where 23mm of rain fell in just 10 minutes.

The Sydney area as a whole recorded roughly 30,000 lightning strikes.

https://twitter.com/BOM_Qld/status/1322501463759855618?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

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