Trees down as wild weather hits

JUNEE was battered by a powerful cold front on Wednesday night, with torrential rain and damaging winds bringing down trees, scattering debris across roads and leaving motorists navigating hazardous conditions across the Shire.

The fast-moving system swept into the district shortly after 9pm, unleashing intense bursts of rain and powerful wind gusts that kept emergency crews busy responding to storm damage.

The Bureau of Meteorology recorded an 83km/h wind gust at Temora Airport at 9.08pm, with gusts remaining above 80km/h until 9.16pm before easing.

In Junee, a large tree was brought crashing down onto a fence and live powerlines in Hill Street, forcing the closure of the road.

Image: Supplied

Image: Supplied

Volunteers from the NSW SES Junee Unit secured the scene while awaiting the arrival of Essential Energy crews to isolate the power before the tree could be safely removed.

The local SES unit was also called to numerous fallen trees and blocked roads across the Shire as the front swept through.

“Trees were blocking Goldfields Way and Gundagai Road had trees down blocking it all the way to the Shire boundary where we met crews from Gundagai working their way through the mess,” the unit said.

“With the help of Junee Shire workers and local farmers with tractors we eventually cleared the roads.”

Image: NSW SES Junee Unit

Roads across the region were littered with fallen branches and debris, while intense downpours left water over several roads and created hazardous driving conditions.

Despite the disruption, no significant damage or injuries were reported.

Water covering the road in Regent Street, Junee at 9.30pm on Wednesday, July 1, 2026 | Image: © The Junee Bulletin

Further west, Deniliquin recorded a peak wind gust of 98km/h at 8.39pm, highlighting the strength of the system as it tore across the Riverina.

Motorists are urged to drive to the conditions, watch for fallen trees and branches, and never attempt to drive through floodwater.

Residents who encounter storm damage can report fallen trees, damaged property or other storm-related incidents to the NSW SES by calling 132 500, or 000 if the situation is life-threatening.