Sydney Snowstorms In October Leave Thousands Of Homes Without Power [VIDEO]

A storm cloud passes over bathers who prepare to leave Sydney's Manly Beach during an afternoon storm March 5, 2014. The storm, which generated little rain but high gusts of wind, was blown out to sea. REUTERS/Will Burgess

A massive snowstorm has struck New South Wales leaving more than 14,000 homes in Sydney without power. The Australian state was battered by winds of up to 161 km/hr in some areas with up to 170mm of rainfall along the south coast, according to reports.

Heavy snow covered some areas with 15 cm deep in the Blue Mountains. Australia's State Emergency Services said it had recorded 1,629 calls for help as 73 people asked to be rescued from the rising floodwaters. The agency said most of the calls it received came from the southern and southwestern suburbs of Sydney, Ilawarra and South Coast areas.

NSW Fire and Rescue Superintendent Paul Johnstone told media that the storms have moved from the coast to the mountains. He said the rest of Sydney was affected by the storms with a combination of lightning strikes, heavy winds and flooding.

As reported by BBC, the strongest winds were felt at Wattamolla in the Royal National Park at 161 km/h which is 20 kilometres south of Sydney. Strathfield recorded a 94 mm rain in just three hours. Weather experts said this only happens once in a century.

Seven Network meteorologist David Brown said the recent storm had the same power as a category two tropical cyclone. He compared it to the storm that rammed the Hunter coast in May 1974 with winds of 165 km/h recorded in Nobby's Head at Newcastle.

Because of the storm, a train rail corridor in Sydney's southwest transformed into a fast-moving river with the train stalling due to flooding in the engine. No injuries were reported when the incident happened. The State Emergency Service assisted commuters stranded on the streets. The Sydney Airport was not spared from the floods as its baggage area was submerged in water.

Reports said the wild weather in October was caused by a normal weather system known as the East Coast Low. Australians living in Melbourne, Perth or Adelaide, storms can easily form. However, the east coast low weather system can stay longer in cities like Sydney and Brisbane for a few days.