A NSW town is recovering after being lashed by a severe thunderstorm that tore the roof of a local pub and brought down trees and powerlines.
Power was cut in the town of Maclean in the Northern Rivers Region as residents sheltered from battering winds and surging rain on Tuesday afternoon.
The roof of the Clarence Hotel was torn off and uprooted trees were left lying across streets in the town.
Waterview Motel owner Brian Koorockin described the winds as "nearly cyclonic".
"It started off as rain, then thunder and lightning and then the wind just picked up and pulled roofs off, pulled trees out of the ground and knocked over fences," Mr Koorockin told AAP.
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"The hotel roof is over the top of powerlines...it's sort of hanging off the side, it kind of flipped off."
Power is expected to be restored to the town at some point on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, golf-ball-sized hail was recorded at Bullburra in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney during storms which spanned almost the entire length of the state,
Severe thunderstorm warnings remained in place for parts of the Illawarra, South Coast and Southern Tablelands on Tuesday night, though warnings to the north were eased.
