'Bomb cyclone' slams Sydney

SYDNEY: A “bomb cyclone” has lashed Sydney and much of the coast of Australia’s most populous state with heavy rain and strong winds, forcing airlines to cancel domestic flights and prompting evacuation warnings in coastal communities.

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Authorities yesterday warned that parts of New South Wales could also expect the wild weather to worsen in the next 24 hours, with up to 250mm of rain and winds up to 125kph predicted.

Emergency Services Minister Jihad Dib said the size of the system was “enormous”.

“It may seem pretty bad but the terrible thing is the situation is going to worsen over the course of the next 24 hours,” he told a news conference yesterday afternoon.