Tornado Spotted Near Young, NSW, as Severe Storms Lash Eastern Australia

A tornado was observed near the town of Young in central New South Wales on Wednesday afternoon as a line of severe storms swept across the state, prompting short‑lived tornado warnings and broader alerts for destructive winds, hail and heavy rainfall.

The NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) said a fire‑tower camera recorded what was believed to be a tornado forming northwest of Young at about 3:30 p.m., near an area called Tubbul. RFS Inspector James Morris said the image was relayed to the service’s fire behaviour analysts and then to the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), which issued a tornado warning for Young, Cowra and surrounding districts.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or significant structural damage, the RFS said. The BOM later cancelled the tornado warning but warned that severe weather remained likely across parts of the Central Tablelands, South West Slopes, Southern Tablelands and Central West Slopes and Plains districts.

In a bulletin issued shortly before 4 p.m., the BOM said, "Very dangerous thunderstorms are likely to produce tornadoes, destructive winds, large hailstones and heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding over the next several hours" and named Young and Cowra among locations that may be affected. The bureau recorded a cold front attached to a low‑pressure system moving eastward through central parts of New South Wales as the driver of the storms.

Emergency services advised residents to stay indoors while severe weather persisted. Local crews received the tower camera footage and used it to coordinate their response and to corroborate warnings issued by the BOM.

The storm system follows widespread rainfall across parts of the state earlier in the day, with many residents waking to wet conditions in coastal and inland areas. Forecasters have also cautioned that a broader climate pattern may increase the likelihood of continued wetter conditions into the southern hemisphere spring and summer.

Climate monitors say Australia is on the brink of a fifth La Niña event in six years. La Niña, an ocean‑atmosphere climate pattern in the tropical Pacific, is associated with a shift in typical weather patterns that tends to increase rainfall and the risk of flooding across eastern and northern Australia. Observations cited by forecasters point to relatively cool sea surface temperatures in the central Pacific and warmer waters nearer Australia, conditions often linked to the onset of La Niña.

The BOM and emergency services will continue to monitor the situation and issue updates as required. Residents in affected and adjacent areas were reminded to heed local warnings, avoid flooded roads and keep clear of damaged infrastructure until authorities confirm it is safe.

Meteorologists said the combination of the migrating low‑pressure system and the potential return of La Niña conditions warrants vigilance through the coming weeks as the region moves into a period that typically sees increased storm and flood activity.