Thunderstorms have been causing havoc in the Australian state of New South Wales and more are on the way.<br /><br /> Lightning, hailstorms, heavy rain and flash floods have struck the area from the Blue Mountains to western Sydney. <br /><br /> Several thousand people were left without electricity as another storm rolled through on Friday night local time.<br /><br /> Forecasters say the unusual subtropical conditions bringing a mixture of high humidity and storms will continue for another few days.<br /><br /> Several thousand kilometres to the north in the Philippines, people are bracing themselves for an entirely separate storm.<br /><br /> Typhoon Hagupit has weakened as it churns over the Pacific and is no longer a category 5 “super typhoon”.<br /><br /> But it’s still likely to cause damage when it hits the central islands on Saturday.<br /><br /> Thousands of people have fled coastal villages and areas prone to landslides.<br /><br /> Memories are fresh of last year’s Typhoon Haiyan – one of the strongest ever to make landfall – that caused massive destruction, killing more than 7,000 people and leaving several million homeless.
