Travel delays at Sydney Airport as strong winds shutdown runways
Travellers at Sydney Airport are being urged to expect further delays as strong winds continue to batter the city this morning.
A cold front moving across Australia's south-east has brought harsh winds of 100km/h, rain and even blizzard conditions to parts of Victoria and New South Wales.
Sydney Airport is continuing to operate only a single runway as strong winds of up to 50km/h are expected.
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Travellers at Sydney Airport being urged to expect further delays as strong winds continue to the city this morning. Dion Georgopoulos
At least six flights leaving Sydney this morning have been cancelled so far across Virgin, Jetstar and Qantas, with a further nine flights headed into Sydney scrapped.
A Sydney Airport spokesperson said wild weather, and the knock-on effect of Friday's IT outage, could lead to delays throughout the day.
"Due to high winds Airservices Australia will continue to operate our east-west runway, which may cause some delays throughout the day. This will remain in place into the afternoon," the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said IT systems are online and operations are normal but individual airlines may still be impacted by disruptions.
Perisher recorded buckets of snowfall today. Facebook
"Anyone travelling today should check with their airline regarding the status of their flight, and arrive with plenty of time ahead of their flights," they said.
Overnight, State Emergency Services (SES) responded to more than a thousand calls with 522 call outs in Sydney metropolitan alone related to fallen trees and toppled powerlines.
On the Northern Beaches damaging winds brought down scaffolding with wind gusts of up to 60km/h recorded in the early hours of this morning.
Meanwhile, the first widespread snowfall of the season blanketed ski resorts in New South Wales and Thredbo over the weekend.
At least 32 centimetres of snow fell overnight to yesterday at Thredbo Ski Resort while 20 centimetres was dumped at Thredbo.
In Victoria, Hotham raked in at least 45 centimetres in the last 48 hours and Mount Baw Baw copped 28 centimetres in total.
Closer to sea level, the bureau issued a damaging wind warning for south-eastern parts of the country and Perth.
After Sydney was buffeted by strong winds on Friday, causing a tree to fall on a light rail carriage, conditions are expected to ease into this afternoon.
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Victorian Police woke to snow blanketing their vehicles. Victoria Police
Police issued a warning for motorists driving in the snow. Victoria Police
Victoria is set to be cool with a high chance of showers today, reaching a maximum of 16 degrees today.
Wet weather looks likely to continue tomorrow with wind gusts picking up to a maximum of 25 km/h for the garden state.
After a sunny day across Queensland yesterday, isolated showers are set to grace the east coast for the rest of the weekend.
Perth has several more days of rain on the near horizon, with westerly winds and cool temperatures expected for much of the next few days.
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In many cities around the country, the next several days will be rainy and windy with persistent westerly breezes. Windy.com
Hobart, too, will be raining and cool with a maximum of just 14 degrees for the remainder of today.
Adelaide will also see showers and high winds continue today after recording at least 10 days with rain, according to Weatherzone.
Several more days of rain are expected.
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