As per reports from the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM), severe thunderstorms are forecast to impact most parts of New South Wales from Friday afternoon (17 October), bringing the potential for destructive winds, large to giant hail, and heavy rainfall.

• Thunderstorm development is expected across the state through the afternoon and evening, with Sydney likely to experience storm onset around 1600 hours (local time), followed by a temperature drop of up to 10 degrees Celsius within an hour.
• Severe thunderstorm cells are likely to affect Sydney, Wollongong, the Hunter Valley, Newcastle, the Mid North Coast, Central Tablelands, and the Blue Mountains, extending inland toward Central West districts.
• Large hail and damaging winds are considered the primary threats, while heavy rain and localized flooding cannot be ruled out.
• A cold front and low-pressure trough will move across New South Wales following the storms, bringing gusty southerly winds and significantly cooler conditions into Saturday (18 October).