Live Sydney weather: Cyclonic-strength winds batter NSW coast

Gale-force winds are expected for much of the NSW coast tomorrow, after strong winds brought down trees and power lines today.

The Bureau of Meteorology issued a gale warning this evening for the Byron Coast, Coffs Coast, Macquarie Coast, Hunter Coast, Sydney Coast, Illawarra Coast, Batemans Coast and Eden Coast

Strong winds are also expected for Sydney Closed Waters.

In total the SES responded to 898 jobs this afternoon, including damaged homes. Wollongong and the Sutherland Shire were among the areas hardest-hit.

Fallen wires have blocked two busy roads amid peak hour, with traffic queuing for several kilometres.

At St Ives in Sydney's north, two southbound lanes of Mona Vale Road are closed at Link Road.

One lane remains open, but traffic is queued for six kilometres and buses are delayed up to 30 minutes.

Two northbound lanes of King Georges Road at Beverly Hills were closed also closed, next to the M5, after wires fell.

All lanes were reopened just before 5pm, after the wires were moved by utility workers.

Wind damage has also diverted buses in Marrickville and Waverton, causing them to miss stops.

In Marrickville, buses are avoiding Addison Road because of a damaged building at Illawarra Road.

The buses are using Stanmore Road instead, missing 15 stops.

In Waverton, a fallen tree is causing buses to divert away from Woolcott Street, instead using Carr Street and Euroka Street. The new route misses eight stops.

Thousands of people remain without power across Sydney and the Central Coast, after high winds brought down power lines.

Ausgrid said its crews are responding to almost 400 reports of "hazards" on its network, including trees on powerlines.

About 5,900 Ausgrid customers are without power in Sydney's south, while 1,400 people in Narara, Niagara Park and surrounding areas are also blacked out. 

In a statement, Ausgrid thanked customers for their patience and said extra crews were being brought in for the repairs to continue into the night.

Meanwhile, Endeavour Energy said its crews are working to return power to 4,700 customers in the Illawarra and greater Western Sydney.

Carlingford, Dundas, Camden South and the Hawkesbury are among its worst-hit areas.

"Due to the dispersed nature of the damage and continuing strong winds, some customers in outlying areas may be without power overnight," Endeavour said in a atatement.

"Residents venturing outdoors are reminded not to touch or go near any fallen powerlines but call Endeavour Energy immediately on 131 003."

Dozens of domestic flights in and out of Sydney Airport have been cancelled, as airlines wait for wild winds to die down.

Qantas, Tiger, Virgin and Jetstar are among the airlines to cancel flights from Melbourne, Brisbane, Coolangatta, Canberra and Melbourne to Sydney.

Other flights have been delayed.

The cancellations do not appear to have affected international flights.

The Transport Management Centre says the tree has now been removed from the tracks at Canterbury, where it was blocking the T3 Bankstown Line.

Trains heading away from the city had been unable to pass while the tree was there.

Passengers should still leave plenty of extra travel time on the T3 line, as should passengers on the T1 Western Line.

On the T1, an "object" in overhead wiring at Strathfield is still causing delays, although it was removed earlier as well.

Trees and branches aren't just causing havoc for trains - they have also brought down power lines across Sydney, Ausgrid says.

Trains heading away from the city on the T3 Bankstown Line were unable to get past Canterbury, after a tree fell on the tracks.

Passengers were advised to catch a T1 Western Line train or T2 Inner West and South Line train to Lidcombe, then change for a citybound T3 Bankstown Line train.

An operation is under way to remove the tree, so the blockage isn't expected to last long, however there will be continued delays once it's gone.

Emergency services have been busy across Sydney and the Illawarra this afternoon, with the wild winds downing trees and damaging buildings.

One damaged business is Lounges Plus at Caringbah, which had its roof ripped off.

The roof was ripped off Lounges Plus, on Taren Point Road in Caringbah, in high winds. Photo: Brook Mitchell

Emergency services, including the State Emergency Service, were called to attend.

The SES has responded to 579 calls for help this afternoon, mostly in the Illawarra and Sydney metro regions. They have asked anyone who phones for help to be patient.

The SES has responded to 579 calls, including this roof collapse in Caringbah. Photo: Brook Mitchell

Here is the warning area for tomorrow's damaging winds and damaging surf.

Strong winds averaging 70km/h with peak gusts of 90 km/h are expected to ease tonight, though "vigorous winds" will continue along the coast tomorrow.

The Bureau of Meteorology says the large seas are caused by the interaction between a deep low pressure system, near New Zealand, and a high pressure system over south-eastern Australia.

Damaging 6-metre surf and possible coastal erosion is predicted for a huge swathe of the NSW coast tomorrow.

The Bureau of Meteorology says "very heavy surf" is expected between Ulladulla, on the south coast, and Port Macquarie, on the mid-north coast.

That's about 600 kilometres of coastline, taking in Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong and the Central Coast.

The Bureau says beach conditions in these areas could be dangerous, so people should stay well away from "the surf and surf-exposed areas".

Sydney Morning Herald photographer Nick Moir is in Manly, where the strong winds are whipping up sand and blowing it over the road.

Commuters have been warned to take their time on the way home and travel with "extreme care" due to the strong winds.

A few hours ahead of the evening peak, here's the state of play in our transport system, according to the Transport Management Centre.  

• Roads

Barangaroo: Sussex Street closed between Erskine Street and Napoleon Street after building damage. Traffic, including buses, is being diverted onto Kent Street, while pedestrians have been told to avoid the area.

Northbridge: Sailors Bay Road closed in both directions at Eastern Valley Way.

• Trains

T1 North Shore, Northern & Western Line: Commuters must allow extra travel time due to "an object in overhead wiring" at Strathfield. Earlier infrastructure repairs near Milsons Point will also cause delays.

T2 Inner West & South Line: The Strathfield object also causing delays here, as is an earlier grass fire at Bardwell Park.

T3 Bankstown Line: A tree has fallen on the tracks at Canterbury. Allow extra time.

• Buses

Port Botany: Buses diverting away from Military Road due to fallen wires. They will miss seven stops, diverting through Botany Road and Bumborah Point Road.

Sutherland: Some more fallen wires at Linden Street mean buses are diverting away from Leonay Street, using The Grand Parade instead.

• Ferries

F7 Eastern Suburbs ferries: Only running between Circular Quay and Rose Bay, with Watsons Bay Wharf closed.

F3 Parramatta River ferries: Not dropping off passengers at Cockatoo Island Wharf, however passengers will be picked up from there.

Commuters should keep an eye on www.livetraffic.com for traffic information and www.transportnsw.info for public transport information.

Up to 40 flights between Sydney and Brisbane have been cancelled due to the wild winds.

A Brisbane Airport spokeswoman said delays for flights that had not been cancelled ranged from 30 minutes to two hours. 

"Severe weather in a major port such as Sydney always has the potential for knock-on effects across the national flight network," the spokeswoman said. 

There is potential for more flight cancellations and delays through the afternoon and evening.

AAP

Many homes and businesses remain without power, including as many as 43,000 in Sutherland Shire after supply was cut to two main substations.

The latest updates include 3,100 properties at Bexley in Sydney's south, Ausgrid says.

Meanwhile, the Central Coast has been hammered, with 1700 homes at Copacabana, 700 in Terrigal and 1400 in Niagara Park without electricity, Ausgrid said.

Sydney Airport has joined the harbour, Kurnell and Bellambi to hit three-figure wind speeds. The airport recorded 100 km/h winds at just after 1.33pm.

While the mercury has climbed to about 17 degrees before easing back, it's worth noting the wind chill made it feel like freezing.

In fact, the "feels like" temperature was recently minus 0.8 degrees in the city, according to the bureau's website, making outdoor activity especially chilling.

The Blue Mountains are aptly named today, with Mt Boyce recently reporting "feels like" temperatures of minus 6.3 degrees.

Around the suburbs, traffic lights remain out in Bexley, particularly along Forest Road. In Wilton, Picton Road is closed near Macarthur Road due to a fallen tree. In Glebe, lights are out at Parramatta Road at Glebe Point Road.

Clarence Street near Wynyard has reopened.

Trains on the T1 line - that is North Shore, Northern and Western lines - are delayed due to repairs at Milsons Point and also an object becoming entangled in overhead wiring between Strathfield and Burwood. The entanglement is also causing delays on T2 trains - the Inner West and South lines. 

Thousands of homes and businesses stretching from Sydney's south to the Central Coast in the north have lost power due to the strong winds. Ausgrid says, at its worst, 43,000 properties around the Sutherland Shire lost power between 10am and 11am however most of those areas had now had it restored. There are still outages in and around Bexley and Bardwell Park with about 3000 properties affected while on the Central Coast, 3800 are impacted in Copacabana, Terrigal and Nigara Park. 

Winds have also struck the Wollongong coastline, the Illawarra Mercury reports. Thousands of homes remain without power and a number of carports have collapsed.

Authorities have reminded people to use 000 only in an emergency. If you need help from the State Emergency Service, call 132 500.

Northbound trains have resumed on the Sydney Harbour Bridge after repairs to damage infrastructure. The two road lanes that had been blocked to assist the repairs are also open, a spokesman for the Transport Management Centre said.
There are still delays in some train services, he said.

Ferries are operating in the Harbour with the exception of the service to Cockatoo Island, which has been suspended.

Liverpool Street in the city has now reopened after signs had been blown down, the spokesman said.

Drivers are being encouraged to take care around Sydney, with signs down and traffic lights out of service in some places, particularly in Sutherland Shire.