Torrential rain triggered flash flooding that turned streets into rivers in Sydney, Australia's biggest city, on Wednesday, causing major disruptions to the morning commute.

A spokesman for Ausgrid, the nation's biggest electricity network, said the storm had so far left 8,100 homes without power around Sydney and the central coast.

There was chaos on the roads, with at least five stranded motorists needing to be plucked from rising floodwaters, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.

"The storm is pretty intense in and around the airport," a Sydney airport spokesperson said. "We are operating from a single runway so that means that there are delays and likely some flights will be cancelled."

The central Sydney area had received 90 millimetres of rain, according to the Bureau of Meteorology, and state emergency services received dozens of calls for help.

A series of storms was forecast to last through most of the day and ease in the evening, with strong winds continuing. </s> One person was killed in a car crash and two police officers injured after torrential rain lashed Sydney, Australia, early on Wednesday.

A series of storms swept over a large area of the New South Wales state, wreaking havoc to the morning commute in the country's largest city, with flash flooding inundating roads and delaying flights.

State Emergency Services rescued 12 people from floodwaters and responded to over 500 calls for help, according to local media. </s> Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption People in vehicles were among those caught up in the floods

Sydney has been deluged by the heaviest November rain it has experienced in decades, causing flash-flooding, traffic chaos and power cuts.

Heavy rain fell throughout Wednesday, the city at one point receiving its average monthly rainfall in two hours.

Officials said dozens of vehicles crashed in the stormy conditions, with winds of up to 90km/h (55mph) also recorded.

At least two deaths have been blamed on the storm.

A 14-year-old boy died in a car accident in Thornleigh, in the north of Sydney on Wednesday morning.

A volunteer with the state's emergency service also died while out on duty, and two police officers were injured after being hit by a falling tree while trying to help Sydney motorists, authorities said.

Images posted online showed downed trees and flooded roads, houses and train stations.

The weather played havoc with commuters in Australia's biggest city, with many transport services cancelled or delayed - including 130 flights at the international airport.

A spokeswoman for Sydney airport said it was forced to operate only one runway after two others were closed due to the storm.

Australia's Bureau of Meteorology said it was the region's wettest November day since 1984.

"The intensity of that rainfall was phenomenal - 91mm fell in 90 minutes," forecaster Rob Taggart told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Sydney had one month's worth of rain in two hours, meteorologists say

Image copyright EPA Image caption Council workers attempt to clear a drain

The storm centred on coastal parts of New South Wales (NSW), but was reported to have missed many inland regions affected by drought.

Ausgrid, the country's biggest electricity network, said the storm had cut electricity to more than 8,000 customers around the Sydney area.

By Wednesday evening, more than 3,250 homes and businesses were still reported to be without power.

Authorities urged people to try to avoid travelling where possible, as the two main phases of the rain fell around commuting times.

"We cannot stress enough that motorists should never attempt to drive through flood waters or cross flooded causeways," assistant commissioner Michael Corboy of NSW Police said on Wednesday.

The floods are not the only extreme weather currently being experienced in Australia.

In Queensland, further north, thousands have been evacuated as an unprecedented heatwave grips the region, sparking destructive bushfires and dust-storms. </s> Torrential rain and gale force winds lashed Australia's biggest city of Sydney on Wednesday, flooding streets, railway stations and homes, grounding flights and leaving hundreds of people without electricity.

Police called on motorists to stay off the roads. One person was killed in a car crash and two police officers were seriously injured when a tree fell on them as they helped a stranded driver.

Greg Transell, a local office manager, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that strong winds caused widespread disruption to the tower block office where he works.

"I started to go upstairs to see if there was any damage, and next minute there was an almighty bang and it ripped panels off the roof in the warehouse," said Transell.

Australia's Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) Sydney got more than 100 millimetres of rain in just a few hours, a level the country's most populous city would normally get through the whole of November.

"That's the sort of rainfall you'd expect to see once every 100 years," Ann Farrell, the bureau's state manager, told reporters.

The rain offered a welcome respite to farmers who have suffered through a sustained drought in recent months, but it caused major transportation disruptions.

Sydney airport, the country's busiest, said 130 flights had been cancelled or delayed after it was forced to close two of its three runways.

"The storm is pretty intense in and around the airport," Cait Kyann, an airport spokesperson, told Reuters. "We are operating from a single runway, so that means that there are delays and likely some flights will be cancelled."

Ausgrid, the country's biggest electricity network, said the storm had cut power to 8,100 customers in Sydney and the Central Coast area to its north.

By late afternoon, 1,700 homes and businesses remained without power, Ausgrid said.

The storm struck only hours before morning rush hour, transforming some streets into fast-flowing rivers and parks into lakes. Several stranded motorists were plucked from rising floodwaters.

"We are asking all road users to reconsider the need to be on the roads throughout what will be a severe rain event," said Michael Corboy, New South Wales state assistant police commissioner.

In contrast, in Australia's northern state of Queensland, soaring temperatures near 40 C and strong winds exacerbated major bushfires.

Firefighters have been battling for nearly a week to contain more than 130 fires across Queensland, and 8,000 people were ordered to evacuate the city of Gracemere, about 600 kilometres north of the state capital of Brisbane.

"These are unprecedented conditions," said state Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. "We have not seen the likes of this." </s> Hundreds of Australians were forced to call the emergency services for help as Sydney was hit with flash flooding.

More than 500 people in Sydney and the surrounding areas were left trapped as heavy rains lashed the city.

The ferocious storms caused widespread flooding, power cuts and flight delays as they hit the coastal parts of New South Wales (NSW).

Meteorologists said Sydney experienced an average month's worth of rain within just two hours.

Authorities said one man died in a car accident.

At least a further 11 had to be rescued after their vehicles became trapped by flood waters.

Two police officers were injured when they were hit by a falling tree while trying to help motorists.

Pictures and footage posted online show flooded streets and emergency workers trying to clear drains as rain continues to fall.

The storms caused travel chaos with more than 50 flights cancelled or delayed.

Australia's Bureau of Meteorology said it was the region's wettest November day since 1984.

"The intensity of that rainfall was phenomenal - 91mm fell in 90 minutes," forecaster Rob Taggart told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

More warnings were issued as more storms are forecast to hit on Wednesday.

Assistant Commissioner Michael Corboy of NSW Police said: "We cannot stress enough that motorists should never attempt to drive through flood waters or cross flooded causeways." </s> Hundreds of people called authorities for emergency assistance as storms struck Sydney and its surround areas.

Australian officials said at least 11 people had been rescued from vehicles trapped in floods. One man died in a car accident. </s> More than 500 Australians have called for emergency assistance after storms lashed Sydney and nearby regions, causing floods, power cuts and flight delays.

Sydney had its average monthly rainfall within just two hours on Wednesday, according to meteorologists.

Authorities said at least 11 people had been rescued from vehicles trapped in floods. One man died in a car accident.

Two police officers were injured in Sydney after being hit by a falling tree while trying to help motorists, authorities said.

The weather played havoc with the morning commute in Australia's biggest city, with many transport services cancelled or delayed - including more than 50 flights.

Australia's Bureau of Meteorology said it was the region's wettest November day since 1984.

"The intensity of that rainfall was phenomenal - 91mm fell in 90 minutes," forecaster Rob Taggart told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

The storm centred on coastal parts of New South Wales (NSW), but was reported to have missed many inland regions affected by drought.
• What does it take to break a drought?

Authorities urged people to stay safe ahead of more forecast storms later on Wednesday.

"We cannot stress enough that motorists should never attempt to drive through flood waters or cross flooded causeways," said assistant commissioner Michael Corboy of NSW Police. </s> Los Angeles - A severe storm pounding southern and central California has reportedly killed at least four people, causing flash floods and forcing the evacuation of hundreds of people from their homes.

Los Angeles city fire officials said a 55-year-old man was electrocuted after a tree downed a power line. Several people stranded near the Los Angeles River had to be rescued with inflatable boats.

Two other people died in car accidents in the San Diego area and a fourth was died in a submerged vehicle, local media reported.

Another person was injured after her car fell into a massive sinkhole in Los Angeles. She was trapped until fire crews pulled her out.

The powerful storm blew in from the Pacific Ocean, hitting California on Friday with high winds and heavy rain that downed power lines, leaving 60 000 people in the Los Angeles area without power and prompting hundreds of flight delays and cancellations at airports.

Rushing flood waters swept away cars, downed trees and caused mudslides and sinkholes, the National Weather Service said.

Flash-flood warnings will continue through the weekend in many areas of the West Coast state, which has been hit this winter by a series of storms that have filled reservoirs, bringing respite following a severe five-year drought.

Although the latest storm, which packed heavy wind-driven rain, was mainly affecting southern and central California, rain was also forecast to hit the San Francisco Bay Area in the north. </s> Flash floods in southern Iran kill at least 11, injure 15

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranian state TV is reporting that flash floods have killed at least 11 people and injured 15 in the country's south.

Monday's report quotes the head of Iran's emergency medical services, Pirhossein Koulivand, as saying the sudden flooding was triggered by heavy rains outside of the city of Shiraz.

State TV said the provinces of Fars, Kurdistan, Qom and Isfahan are also on alert for imminent flooding.

The northern provinces of Golestan and Mazandaran have been struggling with flooding for over a week, and two people have been killed.

Iran's metrology department had warned about the heavy rains in various areas across Iran.

Last year, at least 30 people were killed by flash floods in the Iranian province of Eastern Azerbaijan.
Flash flooding kills two people and causes major power outages in Sydney, Australia.