Sydney said farewell to summer with severe storms lashing the city , after people sweltered through a near-record day before change arrived in the afternoon . Sunday marked the first day of Autumn , with Sydneysiders experiencing the change of seasons in dramatic fashion as a picturesque sunny sky turned stormy shortly after 3:30pm . Storms rolled in from the south , bringing with it 100km/h winds , torrential rain and hail across much of the city . Scroll down for video . Storms rolled into Sydney around 3:30pm , sending crowds scampering from Bondi Beach and other swimming spots across the city . Storms arrived from the south , bringing with them 100km/h winds , torrential rain and hail . Wind gusts of more than 100km/h took down power lines across the city . The storm caused chaos in the city , with train services disrupted by lightning strikes . Crowds of people soaking up some sun at Bondi Beach were forced to abandon the sand and head for cover when the storm hit . A sailboat caught in the storm slammed into the Manly Ferry , narrowly avoiding disaster . The city sweltered through scorching temperatures of up to 37 degrees for much of the day , extending the summer heat for an extra few hours . Temperatures hit 37 degrees before the storms arrived , making it the hottest start to Autumn in 11 years . Crowds flee the beach as clouds roll in . The weather is expected to return to normal on Monday , with a high of 26 forecast and only a 10 per cent chance of rain . Lightning strikes caused commuter chaos across the CBD , with train services disrupted . The extreme weather also sparked a fire on the roof of the The Rocks Hatters in George Street , forcing the street ’ s closure between Argyle Street and Hickson Road . It was the hottest March day in 11 years . Festival goers were also impacted by the wild weather , with The Good Life , an under-18 ’ s music festival , forced to shut down . Crowds also abandoned the Soundwave festival because of the weather . The Good Life , an under-18s festival at Randwick Racecourse , was shut down by the weather . The average March temperature is just under 25 degrees . According to reports , festival organisers and police were concerned the main stage could be affected by the high winds . The average March temperature is just under 25 degrees . The weather is expected to return to normal on Monday , with a high of 26 forecast and only a 10 per cent chance of rain .
Storm lashes Sydney with torrential rain , hail and 100km/h wind gusts . Hottest start to decades in March , with temperature hitting 38 in the city . Temperatures fell more than 10 degrees in minutes when storm rolled in . Lightning strikes sparked fire in CBD , and disrupted train services . Sailboat caught in storm had a near-miss , slamming into the Manly ferry .