Sydney Airport in chaos as flights halted during severe storm

Sydney was thrown into chaos on Monday night when a violent storm grounded flights and caused major delays in traffic.

The Weather Bureau alerted Sydney Airport to an incoming storm cell around 5.15pm, before thunderstorms and heavy rain began to shake the city and flights halted.

The Bureau of Meteorology issued several updated “severe thunderstorm” warnings Monday night, warning the system was heading northeast and likely bringing flash flooding.

Passengers at Sydney Airport took to social media to report that the airport was “closed due to storms” around 5.20pm.

Flights at Sydney Airport were severely impacted by a violent storm that hit the south of the city and moved north around 4.15pm on Monday

A Sydney Airport spokesman told Daily Mail Australia that although the airport is not officially closed, some airlines have been delaying flights.

“Our best advice is to check with your airline to see if your flight is affected,” the spokesman said.

Individual flight captains are understood to be deciding whether to proceed – and many have taken a cautious approach as the city finds itself under siege from the storm.

Roads in western and south-west Sydney quickly flooded as stormwater runoff struggled with the rain, blowing out commuters’ journey home.

Flash flooding in Rosehill caused two-way traffic chaos for motorists after 6pm.

Two lanes out of three were closed in either direction of James Ruse Drive at Grand Parade/Hassall Street due to flooding and car breakdowns.

In Granville, Woodville Road was closed in both directions due to flooding between Crescent Street and Wallace Street.

At least four cars are now stranded at the Milperra exit of the M5 motorway, according to 9News.

The Weather Bureau said Camden Airport registered 51mm of rain in just 30 minutes before 4.45pm and over 70mm by 6pm – the equivalent of a month of rain in less than two hours.

There’s more to come

Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk