Thousands of homes are without electricity in New South Wales as trees and power lines fall due to rain and harmful winds.
Key points:
- Wednesday’s temperature is expected to drop to 15 ºC
- Thredbo and Perisher reported snowfall today
- Strong winds are expected to bring a cold factor to Sydney
Some 7,000 Ausgrid customers have been affected in Sydney and another 12,500 in Hunter.
Electricity was slowly being restored in homes and businesses and would continue overnight, Ausgrid said on its social media sites.
NSW Fire and Rescue (FRNSW) said they had been inundated with calls for assistance since 5 p.m.
Lindfield, Lane Cove and Berowra in the northern suburbs of Sydney were among the hardest hit areas, along with Cessnock and Muswellbrook in the Hunter region.
FRNSW reminds people to stay at least 8 meters from downed power lines.
Winter had arrived early in Sydney with the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) previously issuing a severe weather warning for the state, predicting that Sydney would face a week of cold and windy conditions.
Sydney could suffer a storm later today. (ABC News: Harriet Tatham)
Rain and storms were expected due to a low pressure system heading east coast after forming in South Australia.
Gusts of wind were expected to reach 50km / h in Sydney on Monday evening, up to 65km / h tomorrow and up to 35km / h on Wednesday.
On a sad day in Sydney today, the mercury rose to just 18 degrees Celsius.
On Wednesday, the first day of winter, a maximum temperature of 15ºC is expected in the city center and 14ºC in Penrith, Richmond and Campbelltown.
“Much of South and East Australia is currently affected by a strong cold front and an associated low pressure system,” the BOM said today.
“The main impacts will be strong for harmful winds, low snow, below average temperatures and showers.”
The ski resort of Perisher has received heavy snowfall in recent hours. (Facebook: Perisher Resort)
Over the next two days, snow will fall along the snow-capped mountains, with dust already reported on the Perisher and Thredbo ski slopes on Monday afternoon.
The BOM predicts snowfall at an altitude of about 1,100 to 1,200 m across NSW and Victoria by the end of today, although colder air will not arrive until Tuesday.
He has warned of possible snowstorm conditions around the alpine regions of both states.
For the rest of this week, temperatures will not exceed 19 ° C in Sydney’s CBD and will drop to 7 ° C on Friday morning.
“Temperatures will drop significantly along the front,” the BOM said.
“Strong winds will make the temperature feel much colder during the day.”
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Posted 10 hours, 10 hours ago, Monday, May 30, 2022 at 6:51 AM, updated 4 hours ago, 4 hours ago, Monday, May 30, 2022 at 12:22 PM