'Merry bloody Christmas': car windows smashed, roofs damaged in Rutherford

A fierce storm smashed her rear car windscreen, tore up roof tiles and damaged her clothesline in Rutherford.

"Merry bloody Christmas," she said. "The back windscreen [of my car] is absolutely smashed to pieces. There's hail damage all over it. Our other little car has got hail damage but no smashed windscreen."

"We are going to have to re-line the whole clothesline. There is debris [everywhere]. The Christmas lights are down," she said.

"Our next door neighbour's solar panels are all smashed to pieces."

Another neighbour climbed onto Ms Budynek's roof to lay six tiles, saving the house from water damage.

It is not the first time the property has been hit with a severe storm. In early 2023, hail damaged the same car that was destroyed on Boxing Day.

"We'd just had the car fixed. It took months through insurance," Ms Budynek said. "Now, it's wrecked."

She is concerned about having the car fixed quickly - her husband received regular treatment at the Mater and Ms Budynek regularly travels to Newcastle to see grandchildren.

And Ms Budynek is one of dozens affected by golf ball-size hail that hammered Rutherford, Telarah and Aberglasslyn at about 1pm.

The suburbs were pelted with hail, wind and rain for a solid half hour before the storm started tracking east towards Newcastle.

Motorists caught in the chaos sought shelter in undercover shopping centre car parks; others pulled to the side of the road to wait for the event to subside.

Residents ventured outside their homes to survey the damage, many posting on Facebook what had unfolded in their street.

Tree debris littered roads and footpaths, lawns were white and cars and caravans dotted with hail damage.

The Bureau of Meteorology warned of "possible giant hail" in the area at 1:59pm before reporting hail of up to four centimetres long, much of which was unusually-shaped.

A Telarah resident told the Newcastle Herald many pieces of hail were "bigger than golf balls".

At the same time, a severe weather warning was extended to the Mid North Coast as rain moved north.

The State Emergency Service reported more than 50 calls for assistance in less than an hour across Rutherford.

"Be assured we are working through the list as quickly as we can. If you have phoned for assistance, please be patient, we will get to you," Maitland SES posted to Facebook.

NSW SES assistant commissioner Sean Kearns said crews were well prepared ahead of anticipated bad weather later tonight.

"We're expecting further storms into the evening, and some of them may be severe," assistant commissioner Kearns said.

The SES responded to 473 calls statewide in the 24 hours before 3pm on Boxing Day.

And it is not over yet.

"We may see a recurrence of the weather experienced on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, with potential threats of damaging winds, large hail, and intense heavy rainfall," assistant commissioner Kearns said.

At 5:30pm, the Bureau of Meteorology warned of "severe storms" which would be isolated north of Sydney.

Rain is set to hit northern parts of the state - particularly near Lismore - by nightfall.

Residents had little time to prepare for this afternoon's storm. Around lunch time, the bureau urged residents in the lower Hunter, Central Coast and Sydney metro so be vigilant this afternoon as strong winds and hail hit.

Those around Newcastle, Cessnock and Maitland were told to move cars undercover or away from trees, secure loose outdoor items and keep away from power poles.

Newcastle and Cessnock were the worst hit areas from a storm that smashed the Hunter with hail and heavy rain on Christmas Day.

The SES received 28 calls for help throughout the Hunter and Central Coast regions on December 25.

SES public information officer John Thirkell said the calls were primarily for leaking roofs, flash flooding and tree branches down.

"The two main impacts were in Cessnock and Newcastle from the hail last night and heavy rain," he said.

Cessnock had 11 calls for assistance, while Newcastle had eight.

There were still 11 jobs outstanding about 9.30am on December 26.

Emergency crews will also remain on standby with more severe thunderstorms expected in the afternoon on Boxing Day.

"We're expecting those more towards coastal and northern areas," Mr Thirkell said.

"We have our weather briefing at 11am which will determine our posture."

Mr Thirkell urged people to take the weather warning into consideration when travelling.

"With the holiday period a lot of people are travelling and we are recommending people plan ahead," he said.

"Heavy rainfall is expected so we are reminding people to never drive, walk, ride or play in flood water."

Anyone needing help can contact the SES on 132 500.