Main problem was that the Bureau of Meteorology could not forecast exactly where the storm would form . Storm was forecast to gather between Port Macquarie and Newcastle , but it formed just north of Newcastle . It then covered 150km south from Newcastle to Wollongong where a third of Australia ’ s population live . When the storm hit it caused the maximum amount of destruction because of it being a huge suburban area . Budget cuts also meant the Bureau of Meteorology did not have as many resources at its disposal . 'It ’ s just economics . Weather balloons can now only be used in a limited number of places , ' says climate specialist . Emergency services admitted on Tuesday they were shocked by the severity of the storm . Their teams were overwhelmed by a weather system that changed very rapidly . This weather system usually moves away after 24-36 hours but this one is going to stick around for 12 hours .
Main problem was that the Bureau of Meteorology could not forecast exactly where the storm would form . Storm was forecast to gather between Port Macquarie and Newcastle , but it formed just north of Newcastle . It then covered 150km south from Newcastle to Wollongong where a third of Australia ’ s population live . When the storm hit it caused the maximum amount of destruction because of it being a huge suburban area . Budget cuts also meant the Bureau of Meteorology did not have as many resources at its disposal . 'It ’ s just economics . Weather balloons can now only be used in a limited number of places , ' says climate specialist . Emergency services admitted on Tuesday they were shocked by the severity of the storm . Their teams were overwhelmed by a weather system that changed very rapidly . This weather system usually moves away after 12 hours but this one is going to stick around for 24-36 hours .