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Strong winds are driving hazardous conditions along Sydney’s coast, whipping up massive swells amid warnings of gale force winds for Sydney’s coastal waters.
Beachgoers, boaties and fishers have been urged to stay away from the NSW coast amid a one-in-100 year swell warning for the weekend, with waves as big as two-storey buildings predicted as severe winds whip up dangerous surf.
The high swell added to extensive disruptions to public transport services, with Manly ferry services suspended until 5am Sunday.
Surf Life Saving NSW issued a hazardous surf warning for Sydney’s coastal beaches, with swells expected to reach up to four metres as the swell train generated by an offshore low pushes toward the NSW coastline on Saturday.
Authorities are warning residents and beachgoers to exercise caution, with gusts reaching up to 110km/h in parts of the state.
The Bureau of Meteorology issued strong wind warnings for Saturday for Sydney and Coffs Harbour, and gale force warnings for Macquarie, Hunter, Sydney, Illawarra, Batemans and Eden coastal waters. Wave heights of 5.7m were observed at the Sydney wave buoy.
Damaging surf conditions could lead to coastal erosion and localised damage to coastal infrastructure between the NSW and Victorian border and Seal Rocks, particularly for south-facing beaches. Minor seawater flooding of low-lying south facing coastal areas was also possible during the early Saturday morning high tide.
As of 7am, Marine Rescue reported Sydney’s recreational boat community seemed to be heeding warnings to stay out of the water. Marine Area Command advise warned people to stay out of the water and avoid walking near surf-exposed areas.
Rock fishers should avoid coastal rock platforms exposed to the ocean and seek a safe location that is sheltered from the surf. Boaters planning to cross shallow water and ocean bars should consider changing or delaying their voyage.
Southerly storms hit Sydney about 5pm on Friday, bringing more heavy rain and strong winds.
Dozens of flights in and out of Sydney were cancelled after the wild weather left one runway operating Friday evening. Qantas upgraded capacity on its Melbourne and Brisbane routes Saturday to clear the backlog of delayed passengers. At Sydney Airport all runways were operational.
Surfers took advantage of the enormous swell at Maroubra in the city’s east on Friday, and are likely to do so this weekend.
Bureau of Meteorology predicts the low to move slowly east into the Tasman Sea and weaken during this evening.
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