A "bomb cyclone" has lashed Australia's most populous state with heavy rain and strong winds, forcing airlines to cancel domestic flights and prompting evacuation warnings in coastal communities. Authorities on Tuesday warned that parts of New South Wales could also expect the wild weather to worsen in the next 24 hours,

Wild winds of up to 100km/h were set to slam South East Queensland overnight as icy blasts from the “cyclone bomb” that battered NSW also hit the Sunshine State, wreaking havoc on power, flights and trains.

A rapidly intensifying low-pressure system known as a “ bomb cyclone ” is lashing Australia ’s eastern coast with torrential rain and winds of up to 110 kmph, raising fears of flash floods, coastal erosion and major transport disruptions.