‘Fast and Furious’: Destructive storms tear through Riverina

DESTRUCTIVE storms carved a path of destruction through parts of the Riverina on Sunday afternoon, lashing communities with intense winds and toppling trees in multiple towns.

Gundagai was hammered just before 4.30pm, October 26, with emergency services deployed to multiple incidents in the area.

According to Fire and Rescue NSW, the hardest-hit location was the Gundagai Cabins and Tourist Park on Nangus Road, where a massive tree collapsed onto a cabin — destroying it — while strong winds caused significant damage to the main office.

Wind damage in Gundagai | Photo: NSW Fire and Rescue

A cabin was crushed on Nangus Road at Gundagai | Photo: NSW Fire and Rescue

Wind damage in Gundagai | Photo: NSW Fire and Rescue

Cootamundra was struck shortly after, with video provided to The Junee Bulletin capturing the moment the storm cell slammed into local streets, ripping branches from towering trees and hurling debris through the air.

Photos taken in town show giant limbs flung across fences, cars and yards, while shattered branches and leaves litter residential properties and public spaces.

‘FAST AND FURIOUS’

The violent storm was short lived, described by locals as “fast and furious”.

“It was short but extremely sharp,” one Cootamundra resident wrote on Facebook.

Graham Johnson filmed the frightening moment the storm smashed into his home on Scott Avenue.

In the footage (see it below), sideways rain blurs visibility as violent gusts tear through, stripping trees bare and shearing off heavy limbs.

Debris can be heard pelting the side of his house as the wind roars overhead.

“I reckon this wind hit 200km/h here,” Graham said.

“I’ve been in 150km/h winds and this was much more. We lost roof tiles and have water damage inside — it certainly packed a punch.”

Wind damage in Scott Avenue, Cootamundra | Photo: Supplied/Graham Johnson

Wind damage in Scott Avenue, Cootamundra | Photo: Supplied/Graham Johnson

As the storm peaked, an ornamental pear tree from next door came crashing down onto Graham’s caravan.

He spent the evening clearing what he could, with the bulk of the clean-up to continue today.

But Graham said his first thought was for those living around him.

“It is what it is,” he told The Junee Bulletin.

“I was more concerned for my elderly neighbours as they have some big trees around the house. A couple of big branches came off onto the house and around it.

“We cut the tree back off our caravan but there’s still a huge mess, the chainsaw will be working flat out again on Monday.”

Wind damage in Scott Avenue, Cootamundra | Photo: Supplied/Graham Johnson

Photo: Supplied/Graham Johnson

Speaking with The Junee Bulletin late Sunday night, Graham’s wife Roseanne said the destruction appeared strangely targeted.

“It seems to be an isolated incident — just a street over there was nothing,” she said.

“We have our next-door neighbour’s huge ornamental pear tree on top of our caravan. Both our neighbours suffered damage as well.

“We are not sure if there’s any damage to our caravan until we check the roof in the morning.

“We’re pretty tired — we spent a few hours sawing trees and trying to clean up what we could.”

The storm was short lived, described by locals as “fast and furious”.

“It was short but extremely sharp,” one resident said on Facebook.

EMERGENCY RESPONSE

The NSW State Emergency Service confirmed it received a “large number” of requests for assistance from both Cootamundra and Gundagai, prompting additional crews to be called in from neighbouring towns, including Tumut.

SES volunteers were supported by Fire and Rescue NSW, with teams working into the night to respond to storm-related calls, remove fallen trees and make damaged properties safe.

Cootamundra | Photo: Facebook/Julia Gallagher

The band of wild weather first swept across Wagga about 3pm, delivering bursts of heavy rain and blustery winds before intensifying as it surged east across the Riverina and into the South West Slopes, Southern Tablelands and ACT.

The Bureau of Meteorology recorded a 59km/h wind gust at Wagga Airport at 3.24pm and an 81km/h gust at Young at 5.50pm.

While no official peak wind speeds were captured in Cootamundra or Gundagai, the scale of damage suggests gusts in some pockets easily exceeded 100km/h.

Incredibly, despite the carnage, there were no reports of injuries.

Cootamundra | Photo: Facebook/Julia Gallagher

Cootamundra | Photo: Facebook/Barb Mustert

Residents are urged to exercise caution around fallen trees, damaged structures and sagging power lines, and to report hazards or storm damage to the SES on 132 500.