More than 46,000 homes without power as destructive winds lash NSW

Tens of thousands of people are without power across NSW, as damaging winds cause widespread destruction.

Endeavour Energy crews are working to fix more than 250 fault sites before they restore power to 46,000 homes after services dropped out on late Saturday afternoon.

Ausgrid has reported more than 23,000 outages across the state.

The power outage is also affecting some 5G services, including on the Telstra network.

NSW residents have been reminded to treat all powerlines as live and dangerous, and keep at least eight metres clear of them. Motorists should also never drive across fallen powerlines.

Fallen trees have caused significant damage to some homes, including the roof of a property at Winmalee in the Blue Mountains region.

Eight people, including three children, who were inside the home at the time escaped with minor injuries.

Meanwhile, three young children were taken to hospital after strong winds lifted a jumping castle at Banksia in Sydney’s inner south.

Two four-year-old children suffered minor head injuries while an 18-month-old was left with minor injuries.

The greater Sydney region was under a total fire ban on Saturday due to forecasted hot and windy conditions.

And as predicted amid those conditions firefighters were left tackling a bushfire at Calga, on the NSW Central Coast, that’s moving in a southerly direction towards the Pacific Highway.

Firefighters were assisted by water bombing aircraft as they worked to slow the fire’s spread. The warnings around the blaze have now been downgraded to an “advice” level.

Residents should keep up to date on the NSW Rural Fire Service Fires Near Me website.

Records could be broken

Less than a week into an unseasonably warm spring, millions have faced the hottest start to the season in more than 50 years, with some parts of Sydney bracing for temperatures as hot as 33 degrees on Saturday.

The last time the city reached above 24 degrees in the first few days of spring was in 1969.

Weatherzone’s Ben Domensino said if Sydney did reach 30 degrees on Saturday, it would be for the first time in six months, and only the fifth time on record that a 30-degree day has happened this early in spring.

“In records dating back to 1859, Sydney’s Observatory Hill weather station has only reached 30 degrees three times in August and once during the first five days of September,” he wrote.

The NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) issued the warning ahead of the dangerously warm weather, urging residents living near bushland to prepare their homes and review their emergency survival plans.

Father’s Day is set for sunny skies, though temperatures will drop significantly to a top of 23 degrees, however a moderate fire danger will remain in place.

Under a total fire ban, all open flames are strictly prohibited, and all fire permits are suspended.

Gas and electric barbecues may still be used, as long as strict safety guidelines are adhered to.

RFS officials warned property owners whose homes are not fully prepared should consider leaving for a safer location well before any fire breaks out.

“Take action now to protect your life and property,” the NSW RFS said in a statement.

“These are dangerous fire conditions.

“If you and your property are not prepared to the highest level, go to a safer location well before the fire impacts.”

Coastal wind warnings are also in place for the Hunter Coast, Illawarra Coast, Batemans Coast and Eden Coast.

Travellers are also advised to reconsider non-essential trips through high-risk bushland areas throughout Saturday.

In addition to community warnings, the RFS indicated that Harvest Safety Alerts may be issued to agricultural operators, and workers are urged to monitor local conditions closely.