SYDNEY- Due to the city being pummeled by strong winds, Sydney Airport (SYD) will maintain operations on a single runway. The airport experienced wind gusts reaching speeds as high as 80km/h during the night and another gust of 61km/h at 11:50 a.m.
The State Emergency Service (SES) has been inundated with more than 300 calls for assistance since the onset of these powerful winds last night. The majority of these calls originated from areas such as Camden, Campbelltown, and Badgery’s Creek, where the winds reached their peak at 104km/h early this morning.
Sydney Airport Witnesses Strong Winds
Airservices Australia previously announced their plans to limit the operational runways to just one due to the presence of strong westerly crosswinds.
While the majority of flights are departing as scheduled, a few have been canceled.
These powerful winds have also resulted in extreme fire danger ratings, leading to emergency warnings in various towns across New South Wales.
The Greater Sydney and Illawarra regions are still under total fire bans. Presently, there are 82 fires ablaze throughout New South Wales, with six of them classified as being at emergency levels.
Havoc in Sydney
Sydneysiders awoke to find closed roads, fallen trees, and power lines down due to wind gusts exceeding 100km/h that swept through the city overnight.
These gusts led to the downing of numerous trees and power lines throughout Sydney. Approximately 13,000 homes are currently without power, and fallen trees obstruct multiple roads, so commuters are advised to allocate extra time for their journeys.
As of 6 a.m., the following roads were closed, as reported by 9News:
- In Punchbowl, Canterbury Road is closed in both directions between Stacey Street and Punchbowl Road.
- In West Hoxton, Cowpasture Road is closed northbound, approaching Hoxton Park Road.
- In Hammondville, Heathcote Road is closed in both directions between Bardia Parade and Keato Avenue.
In addition, certain bus routes were redirected from their usual paths, causing some delays. While extreme wind gusts exceeding 100km/h had subsided by the morning, wind gusts remained stronger than usual.
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