Strong winds have caused havoc at Sydney airport on Saturday, where dozens of flights were cancelled and only one runway was in operation.
A cold front moving over eastern NSW on Saturday brought damaging winds across Sydney and the alpine region.
Wind gusts reached 76km/h on Saturday morning at Sydney airport where Qantas, Jetstar, Tigerair, Rex and Virgin all cancelled multiple flights.
The airport was forced to operate with only one runway for most of Saturday.
Virgin warned travellers to watch their flight status for any changes due to the weather.
"We'll do everything to get you on your way as quickly & safely as possible," the airline posted to Twitter.
Hundreds of flights in and out of Sydney airport have been delayed or cancelled due to the wild weather and winds currently battering the state. Credit:AAP
Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Rob Taggart said while there were still strong winds along Sydney's coastal fringe at about 8pm, the bureau was expecting their strength to slacken by late evening.
"On Sunday morning we are looking at moderate to fresh winds, but not as strong as we’ve experienced today," Mr Taggart said.
Those winds will strengthen on Sunday evening, Mr Taggart said, especially near the coast where warmer waters and cooler air are producing a phenomenon called atmospheric mixing.
"That can bring slightly gusty winds," Mr Taggart said.
A severe weather warning for damaging winds remains in place for Sydney's coastal fringe, but not the rest of the metropolitan area.
There have been more than 300 weather-related call outs to the SES over the past few days across Sydney, the Blue Mountains and the Illawarra, mainly due to fallen trees and power lines.
In Wollongong, part of a roof came off a medical imaging centre and landed near a bus stop on Saturday morning, the SES said.
"No one was injured," SES spokeswoman Carmel Phillips said.
A woman waits after Qantas, Jetstar, Tigerair, Rex and Virgin all cancelled multiple flights.Credit:AAP
The SES has urged people to pack away or secure any loose items and move vehicles away from trees and power lines.
"The wind today is a little more vigorous than it was yesterday and we are still receiving calls," Ms Phillips said.
There is also a chance of blizzards in alpine regions above 1600m on Sunday afternoon.
The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service recommends back country travel be postponed until conditions improve, the weather bureau said.
Strong winds lashed parts of the state earlier in the week, with Thredbo recording a peak wind gust of 115km/h on Thursday.
A peak wind gust of 96km/h also hit Moss Vale in the Southern Highlands on Thursday.
With AAP
Nick is a journalist for The Sydney Morning Herald.
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