A massive clean-up operation is under way after intense storms pummelled Sydney, felling power lines and trees including one that hit a car, killing a man.
Suburbs in the west including Penrith, Mt Druitt and Blacktown and in the city's southwest in Bankstown and Moorebank were the worst hit. On the NSW Central Coast the town of Wyong received a battering.
The SES has received 1900 calls for emergency help, and that number is expected to rise to more than 2000 as people wake up and assess damage on Friday, an SES spokesman said.
One man died when the car he was travelling in was struck by a large tree at Emu Plains.
The 60-year-old female driver of the car was taken to hospital in a critical condition with pelvic and abdominal injuries but is now in a stable condition, a hospital spokeswoman says.
Up to 400 SES volunteers spent the night assisting residents - mainly for fallen trees and power lines and damaged roofs.
A similar number of volunteers will be out in the field on Friday, with volunteers from NSW Fire & Rescue and the Rural Fire Service also helping out, the SES spokesman told AAP.
The strong winds brought down powerlines, cutting power to more than 70,000 people in the city's north, south and west as well as near Newcastle.
Energy companies have worked through the night to restore power to most of those.
Ausgrid said it has 4000 customers in Sydney and 3000 in the Central Coast still without power, while Endeavour Energy is working to restore power to 10,200 customers in western Sydney.
The wet-weather band is gradually making its way north, easing the rain in Sydney during Friday, according to the weather bureau.
The Hunter region can expect rain during the day with the cloud band hitting northern NSW by the end of the day, a BoM spokesman said.
