Face of Nation : Strong winds will continue to lash parts of NSW throughout the weekend but the worst of the severe weather has passed Sydney. The Bureau of Meteorology on Saturday predicted wind gusts exceeding 90km/h for the Illawarra, high parts of the South Coast, the Central Tablelands, Southern Tablelands and the Snowy Mountains.
A severe weather warning for damaging winds was cancelled for Sydney, however a strong wind warning remains in place for Sydney’s coastal waterways. Hazardous surf is also predicted for the entire NSW coast except the Byron region.
The westerly winds will be beneficial in one respect – providing a tailwind for about 75,000 runners and walkers participating in Sydney’s City2Surf fun run on Sunday. The bureau says the last of a series of cold fronts sweeping across the state will clear on early Monday.
Winds topped 113km/h on the South Coast’s Montague Island on Friday while triple-digit gust speeds were also recorded at Kiama and Bellambi. Should the strong winds pick up again, more delays and cancellations are likely at Sydney Airport, where more than 180 domestic flights were cancelled on Friday.
The damaging winds also ripped the roof off the Presbyterian Aged Care facility at Stockton, in Newcastle, on Friday morning forcing the evacuation of about 30 people. Authorities have urged people to remain vigilant as conditions will remain poor on the roads. The SES has received more than 900 requests for help since midnight Thursday, including 370 in the Sydney region.
Almost 200 new jobs have come in since midnight Saturday, with most relating to fallen trees and branches, and some reporting roof damage. Police are urging motorists to drive with extreme caution after snow-affected roads caused multiple collisions near Jindabyne. One incident involved a police car and three other vehicles, travelling at about 30km/h on Friday.
The three cars attempted to stop but collided after sliding on the roads along Alpine way. There were also about eight other vehicles that lost control along the road and became involved in the incident.
Another five managed to avoid the collision but became stuck in snow on the side of the road. Snow and ice continue to affect roads in the Blue Mountains, including the Mitchell Highway between Orange and Bathurst and the Mid Western Highway around Fitzgeralds Mount. The Great Western Highway between Mount Victoria and Lithgow remains open.
