A man has died and a woman was injured after lightning struck their campsite on a mountain summit in New South Wales.
More than 6,000 lightning bolts lit up Sydney's sky as severe thunderstorms hit the state.
"Lightning struck a tree, there was two campers were in a tent at the base of the tree and as a result we've had a male that's died and a woman that's been taken to hospital with neck injuries," says Tweed Byron Police Commander Wayne Starling.
Two hikers tried to resuscitate the man for over an hour.
At the storm's peak there were more than 500 strikes an hour. Beachgoers in Bondi were forced to find shelter.
"There was the most incredible noise and explosion, the like of which I've never heard before," said Sydney local Geoff McIntyre.
"And I thought God it seemed it hit just outside the window and then you could smell smoke and you couldn't see across the river."
At the airport international flights were delayed. Ground staff were ordered undercover to avoid the risk of being struck.
And this is just the start with meteorologists warning a destructive season's on its way.
Newshub.
