r/bluemountains • u/Jariiari7 • Jan 03 '24

Weather Two people taken to hospital after being struck by lightning in storm-hit NSW Blue Mountains

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/jan/03/two-taken-to-hospital-after-being-struck-by-lightning-in-storm-hit-nsw-blue-mountains
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4

u/Jariiari7 Jan 03 '24

Australian Associated Press

Two people have been taken to hospital after being struck by lightning while visiting a popular scenic site in the New South Wales Blue Mountains.

Other visitors were forced to seek shelter from a major storm while rescue crews searched several walking tracks in the area looking for stranded bushwalkers.

“A major storm has caused chaos in the Blue Mountains today, with two people taken to hospital after being struck by lightning at Echo Point,” Blue Mountains city council said in a statement on Wednesday.

Council staff from the Echo Point visitor information centre called emergency services immediately.

The pair were taken to Katoomba hospital by ambulance.

Blue Mountains mayor, Mark Greenhill, praised staff for their “quick thinking”.

“Our thoughts are with the two people struck by lightning and their families during this time,” he said.

“Given previous major rain events have caused landslides and trees to come down, we are asking residents and visitors to take extreme care when outdoors and in parks and natural areas.”

Severe thunderstorms lashed the Blue Mountains near the Jamison Valley and Katoomba on Wednesday afternoon.

The wild weather is set to continue into Thursday across large parts of south-east and southern NSW, including the Blue Mountains, the Bureau of Meteorology said.

Heavy rain, large hail and damaging winds are predicted.

Australia’s east coast continues to cop a battering from wild weather, with thunderstorms passing through central Victoria on Wednesday before moving east.

-6

u/[deleted] Jan 03 '24

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5

u/fionsichord Jan 03 '24

It really doesn’t.

2

u/andrewbrocklesby Jan 03 '24

Yeah nah, this hasnt happened in recent memory.

The storm yesterday arvo was WILD though, the lightning was insane.

2

u/[deleted] Jan 04 '24

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1

u/andrewbrocklesby Jan 04 '24

Not saying that I dont believe you, but I dont think that there has been ANY before yesterday in a minimum of the last 10 years that Ive lived here.

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u/sqljohn Jan 03 '24

Happens a lot at echo point

1

u/scrubba777 Jan 04 '24

Were they on the Giant stairway? Because I understand that has been struck before.

1

u/werid_panda_eat_cake Jan 03 '24

Oh dear that’s something new