New South Wales was battered last night by an unseasonal storm that unleashed 100,000 lightning strikes across the state.

With all the markings of a classic summer storm – without the heat – the weather system also dumped three-centimetre hailstones. 

The storm’s effects were felt across a wide area, from Sydney Harbour to Liverpool, Castle Hill, and the Northern Beaches. 

While Sydney largely avoided the most severe impacts, other areas experienced significant hail, including in Mudgee and Bathurst in the Central West region, as well as further north on the Central Coast.

“That was probably the biggest I saw in that area – three-centimetre hail,” the Bureau of Meteorology’s Angus Hynes said.

The State Emergency Service (SES) responded to 28 incidents, almost half of which were in Wyong on the Central Coast.

Most of the jobs related to damaged roofs.