Severe weather warnings for NSW as icy blast grips east coast and drives huge waves
Winter is early here! Arctic blast grips Australia’s east coast with severe weather warnings
- The East Coast is in the grip of an icy spell
- Low-pressure cell drives huge waves
- Winds cause chaos at the airport
There are severe weather warnings across New South Wales as a polar explosion sends temperatures to record lows on the east coast.
A large low-pressure front in Australia’s south-east is creating huge swells with 14-metre waves from the NSW coast on Monday.
The Bureau of Meteorology has warned that heavy surf could lead to damage and coastal erosion between Seal Rocks and Broken Bay in northern NSW.
Dangerous surf warnings are also issued off the Byron Coast, Coffs Coast, Macquarie Coast, Hunter Coast, Sydney Coast, Illawarra Coast and Batemans Coast.
“Waves of this size are rarely seen near Sydney at any time of the year,” Weatherzone meteorologist Ben Domensino told Channel Nine.
A low-pressure system in southeastern Australia has created massive waves, some reaching 14 metres
The cold snap has sent temperatures in some parts of Australia to record lows for the time of year
High winds knocked down trees and ripped off roofs across much of NSW from Newcastle to Nowra on Monday, with the state’s SES receiving more than 100 calls for help.
The winds also wreaked havoc at Sydney Airport with dozens of flights delayed or cancelled.
The wintry mix of rain, snow, hail and gale force winds and big waves spread to the southern parts of Queensland and into Tasmania and Victoria, with the mercury dropping to new lows for the time of year in some areas.
Strahan Aerodrome in Tasmania fell to -0.6C on Sunday night, making it the coldest May night in 22 years.
Canberra also recorded its lowest maximum temperature in 23 years on Monday, with just 7.8C at lunchtime, while large parts of the capital were blanketed in ice and snow in the morning.
Victoria and NSW also recorded unusual snowfall, with some ski areas able to start a month into the ski season.
Ski resorts (Mt Buller pictured) were able to start the season early with large dumps
Parts of Canberra were covered in ice and snow Monday morning, including this photo of Belconnen’s northern suburbs
As the east coast shudders, the rest of Australia is also seeing signs of an early winter.
Another cold front is expected to hit Western Australia on Wednesday, bringing rain, storms and high winds.
Thursday is expected to bring wet and cold weather to Adelaide before weakening and moving into Victoria and Tasmania.
For the eastern states, there should be some respite from the cold weather with warmer conditions expected by the end of the week.