A storm has swept through Penrith bringing heavy rain and flash flooding this afternoon.
A Severe Weather Warning for the area remains in force.
At Kingswood, the Great Western Highway is closed eastbound due to flooding at Bringelly Road.
There’s also further flooding along Bringelly Road near Orth Street.
There’s also flooding in the Penrith CBD along Woodriff Street near Tindale Street, and on Station Street near Union Road.
All local roads are extremely wet and visibility is poor, with motorists advised to use extreme caution.
NSW SES Assistant Commissioner Sean Kearns said there is potential for isolated heavy falls of 50 to 100 millimetres as the storm continues.
“The NSW SES has prepositioned personnel throughout the region, and we are well-resourced to respond to any calls for assistance,” Assistant Commissioner Kearns said.
“We currently have advice warnings in place for heavy rainfall, which brings with it the risk of flash flooding.
“I would encourage the public to follow the advice of emergency service personnel on the ground and not to drive through floodwater.”
There’s also reports of local power outages in some suburbs.
According to Weather Zone, there’s been 75,000 lightning strikes within 100km of Sydney between 11am and 2pm today.
Troy Dodds
Troy Dodds is the Weekender's Managing Editor and Breaking News Reporter. He has more than 20 years experience as a journalist, working with some of Australia's leading media organisations. In 2023, he was named Editor of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.