Ettalong swimmer critical but stable after lightning strike away from dark clouds

A man believed to be in his 20s remained in a critical but stable condition after being struck by lightning while swimming at Ettalong Beach on the NSW Central Coast. The strike occurred at about 3 pm on Saturday 14 November. Bystanders pulled him from the water and gave CPR until paramedics arrived, according to NSW Ambulance.

He was initially taken to Gosford Hospital and later moved to Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney. Witnesses described a sudden loud bang while much of the beach appeared sunny. Taylor Lee Quimby, visiting with three children, said dark clouds were not directly overhead. Accounts of apparent clear sky do not mean a thunderstorm was absent from the wider area.

Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Sarah Scully said lightning can leave the upper part of a tall storm and travel through clear air before reaching the ground 15 to 30 kilometres away. Such storms can extend around 30,000 feet into the atmosphere. The explanation helps account for a strike beyond the visible rain area; it does not establish the exact path of this particular bolt.

The incident followed severe storms around Greater Sydney and about 250 requests for assistance across NSW. On Sunday, forecasters expected further storms, including potentially dangerous cells on the Mid North Coast and Northern Rivers. Those were the forecasts accompanying the 15 November update, not a guarantee of conditions at every beach later in the evening.