Rare tornado rips through part of Australia's New South Wales
A powerful tornado has damaged homes, vehicles and trees in Australia, and sent several people to hospital.
The tornado struck near Sydney in New South Wales on Thursday, according to broadcaster 7 News, which says at least one house was "flattened" and hundreds of trees damaged. The twister's damage path was up to 30 kilometres long.
Three people have been reported injured, though no deaths have been reported.
That tornado was part of a larger line of storms that brought strong winds, heavy rain and large hail to that part of the state.
Australia isn’t often thought of as a tornado-prone place, but the country’s Bureau of Meteorology says dozens are reported per year.
Most, however, go undetected, given the country’s huge territory and sparse population – a situation similar to Canada, which is known as the second most tornado-prone country in the world. Canada sees an average 60 tornadoes per year, but with great variance between years.
