A severe thunderstorm warning was issued for Sydney and parts of the east coast of New South Wales on Monday afternoon

A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued due to heavy rain in Sydney and parts of the east coast of New South Wales, affecting flights and public transport.

Heavy rain and thunderstorms occurred in Sydney on Monday afternoon. The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) warned that the storm was likely to produce heavy rainfall that could lead to flash flooding.

The warning applied to Sydney City, Sydney Olympic Park, the Sydney Harbor Bridge and the waters off Bondi Beach.

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“This thunderstorm is moving northeast,” BOM warned.

“It is expected to affect Manly, St Leonards and the waters off Manly Beach at 3.40pm and Chatswood, Dee Why and the waters off Dee Why Beach at 4.10pm.”

NSW SES has confirmed 49 jobs since the storm hit on Monday afternoon, four of which were for flash flood rescues, including a rescue in Eastgardens for a car stuck in flood water just after 4pm.

An SES spokesman said most calls were to fallen trees and damaged or leaking roofs, particularly in the city, the inner west and Macarthur.

“Flood rescues have been described as minor and flash flooding is expected to recede relatively quickly,” the spokesman said.

Sydney Airport confirmed there were flight delays due to the storm outbreak.

“There were some flight delays due to storm activity,” a Sydney Airport spokesman said.

“We encourage passengers to check with their airline about the status of their flight.”

Light rail services were also affected, with the L2 Randwick Line and L3 Kingsford Line light rail services between Moore Park, Randwick and Juniors Kingsford not running due to flooding affecting track equipment in Kensington.

“Replacement buses have been requested but are not yet running,” the Transport Management Center said.

“Passengers are advised to postpone their journey or use regular bus services instead.”

The L2 and L3 light rail services continue to run between Circular Quay and Moore Park.

Passengers are advised to check the information displays at stops for service updates.

Severe thunderstorms and heavy rainfall are also expected to affect parts of the east coast over the next few hours, including parts of the Hunter, Illawarra, Central Tablelands, Southern Tablelands and South West Slopes forecast districts.

The state emergency service is advising people to stay away from streams and storm drains, and not to walk, bike or drive through floodwaters. If you are caught in a flash flood, seek shelter at the highest point and call 000 if necessary for rescue.

The next update is expected to appear at 6:10 p.m.

There's more to come…