Severe storms cut power and close roads in NSW and Victoria

A wild afternoon electrical storm has hit parts of Western Sydney dumping hail, downing trees and sparking a fire as wild weather batters Australia’s east coast.

In Victoria, a storm has knocked out power to half a million customers.

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Thunderstorms slowly rolled out across Western Sydney and towards the Blue Mountains and Wollongong.

Trees brought down at Denham Court closed Campbelltown Rd in both directions for some time, while property was damaged in Ruse and lightning started a grass fire at Leppington.

In Victoria, extreme weather conditions such as scorching heat, storms and bushfires have wrecked havoc.

As of 12pm on Tuesday, the Victorian SES had received more than 650 calls for assistance, most for fallen trees.

Some 500,000 homes and businesses were also left without power.

“A combination of extreme temperatures, strong winds and thousands of lightning strikes are causing damage to poles, wires and other electrical infrastructure,” CitiPower said.

The energy company added their crews are still responding, as of Tuesday night, to more than 400 different faults across western and central Victoria, as well as Melbourne’s inner suburbs.

Damaging storms reached Melbourne’s suburbs on Tuesday afternoon.

The city’s southeastern suburbs were battered with hail, from Brighton over to Highett.

Flash flooding also battered Clayton, Caulfield and Clayton and Pakenham.

Damaging winds were also seen at 117 km/h at Swan Hill.

A severe thunderstorm warning was in place for Melbourne, however, was suspended by the Bureau of Meteorology on Tuesday evening.

Warnings do, however, continue for much of the state.

Currently, warnings are in place for South and West Gippsland and parts of Central, Mallee, Northern Country, North Central and North East Forecast Districts.

-With AAP