Tornado damages homes and causes power outages on New South Wales south coast

A tornado has torn through parts of the New South Wales south coast, causing significant damage around Ulladulla.

Just after 1pm today, the region was issued with a severe thunderstorm warning for damaging winds, large hailstones and heavy rainfall.

The Bureau of Meteorology has confirmed a tornado did move through the area, describing the event as "very unusual".

Vision shows the rotating column of air making its way across a residential area.

In other vision from outside a local cafe, staff can be seen scrambling to remove tables and chairs before heavy rain and strong winds sweep through violently, sending umbrellas flying.

The NSW State Emergency Service (SES) said they had received more than 90 calls for assistance across the state, including 29 around Ulladulla.

Crews are responding to roofs being ripped from homes, dislodged tiles and skylights, and fallen trees and powerlines.

Dozens of properties have also being hit with power outages.

An SES incident management team has been set up in Ulladulla, with crews from nearby Nowra — which has received close to 17 millimetres of rain since 9am— and surrounding areas responding.

The SES expects calls for assistance to increase, with severe thunderstorms expected to continue into the evening.