A rare tornado tore through Ulladulla on the New South Wales South Coast in Australia around 1pm on Saturday, October 3, ripping roofs from homes, uprooting trees and throwing boats at the harbour. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology confirmed the event, describing a confirmed tornado in such a populated coastal town as “very unusual”.
Tornado hits Ulladulla around 1pm on Saturday
The small but powerful tornado swept through the town just after a severe thunderstorm warning was issued for the region. Resident Wishaya La Spina was sitting in her car with her baby when she saw it blast past. “It was already storming, but nothing too severe. Then the wind just started to pick up and the next minute we spotted that little tornado,” she said. She filmed it on her phone as her baby cried, unsure whether to stay in the car or flee.
The New South Wales State Emergency Service recorded more than 80 incidents across the state, most of them in Ulladulla. An SES spokesperson reported roofs blown from homes, significant damage to properties and trees down across roads. A nearby weather station recorded a peak gust of 98 km/h at about the time the tornado passed.
Severe storms behind the rare tornado in Australia
The Bureau of Meteorology had issued a severe thunderstorm warning for damaging winds, large hailstones and heavy rainfall just after 1pm on Saturday. Forecasters linked the broader storm outbreak to a surface trough sitting over central New South Wales. Warnings also covered Sydney, Wollongong, Katoomba, Penrith, Parramatta and Bowral, with the storms expected to reach Wollongong, Campbelltown and Liverpool by 4.10pm and Sutherland, Sydney Airport, Richmond, Penrith and Sydney Olympic Park by 4.40pm.
Storm system moves on to Sydney
The same storm system then pushed toward Sydney, bringing damaging winds and intense rainfall. Some areas recorded up to 1.2 inches of rain in less than 30 minutes, triggering flash flooding and a rapid rise in emergency calls across New South Wales. See more international weather coverage in Watan News’ World section.
Key facts
- A confirmed small tornado swept through Ulladulla, New South Wales, around 1pm on Saturday, October 3, 2026.
- The Bureau of Meteorology confirmed the event, calling a tornado in such a populated area “very unusual”.
- More than 80 SES incidents were logged statewide, most in Ulladulla: roofs blown from homes, trees down across roads, boats thrown at the harbour.
- A severe thunderstorm warning for damaging winds, large hailstones and heavy rainfall was issued just after 1pm.
- The same storm system later hit Sydney with damaging winds and flash flooding — up to 1.2 inches of rain in under 30 minutes in some areas.
Conclusion
The Ulladulla tornado is a reminder that severe weather can strike where it is least expected. While Australia does experience tornadoes, a confirmed touchdown in a populated coastal town is rare enough that the Bureau of Meteorology called it very unusual. The damage — torn roofs, fallen trees and a flooded Sydney evening — shows how quickly a single storm system can disrupt communities across an entire state.
