Wild winter weather chaos continues to wreak havoc across NSW transport system

As Sydney shivers through the second day of an icy cold snap, the wild Wintry weather continues to wreak havoc on the state’s transport systems.

Sydneysiders continue to be lashed by a severe cold front, bringing icy rain and cold winds that have caused traffic chaos to spread across the state.

The SES has responded to over 500 calls for help in the past 48 hours, with trees downed and damaged roofs, as well as reports of play equipment being tossed across backyards in the Sutherland shire, south of Sydney.

Truck breakdowns and car accidents have caused heavy traffic in Mosman, Gladesville, the Anzac Bridge, Rhodes and Artarmon in Sydney this morning.

The Bureau of Meteorology issued a coastal warning for hazardous winds and damaging surf for large parts of northern NSW.

The Bureau has warned that surf conditions are likely “more powerful than they appear” and issued warnings extending across most of the NSW coast, including the mid north coast including the Coffs Coast, Hunter Coast, Sydney Coast, Illawarra Coast and the Batemans Coast. They’ve advised the wild surf conditions will be hazardous for anyone rock fishing, boating, surfing and swimming, with waves predicted up to five metres.

These conditions are expected to extend into tomorrow in the Byron, Coffs, Macquarie and Hunter Coast regions.

The Bureau of Meteorology has also issued a strong wind warning for the Sydney Closed Waters, Byron Coast, Coffs Coast, Macquarie Coast, Sydney Coast, Illawarra Coast, the Eden Coast and Batemans Coast. The Eden Coast has received a gale wind warning for tomorrow.

Happy to join this week's #SocialROI chat from a stormy #Sydney.

This was #Bondi beach yesterday.

This week has been cold & stormy so far. pic.twitter.com/8SJyOF6JBU

— Kevin Garber (@Ke_Ga) June 4, 2019

ANZAC BRIDGE: 1 citybound lane and 2 westbound lanes closed on the bridge due to a two-car crash. Traffic is very heavy both ways, especially towards the city. pic.twitter.com/6ZaRvcw8I9

— Live Traffic Sydney (@LiveTrafficSyd) June 4, 2019

LANE COVE WEST: 1 of 5 eastbound lanes closed on Epping Rd near the Lane Cove Tunnel due to a truck breakdown. Factor in extra time - traffic is heavy.

— Live Traffic Sydney (@LiveTrafficSyd) June 4, 2019

The crash has been cleared and all lanes have reopened. Traffic has eased. https://t.co/FF93jk6pNc

— Live Traffic Sydney (@LiveTrafficSyd) June 4, 2019

Since the weather event hit on Monday, the NSW SES has responded to 540 calls for help, with the majority of those were to do with roof damage and fallen trees, and play equipment, including trampolines, being thrown around due to strong wind.

Photos from the SES showed large trees downed in residential areas and play equipment tossed around in backyards.

The majority of their calls were from the Sutherland Shire south of Sydney, with the SES so far responding to 50 jobs in that area. They also responded to 24 jobs in St. George’s Basin, 20 jobs in Shellharbour and 20 jobs in Warringah-Pittwater.

The SES said many calls were due to play equipment being thrown around. Picture: NSW SES

The SES responded to over 540 calls throughout Tuesday and overnight through to Wednesday. Picture: NSW SES

A large tree block a residential street. Picture: NSW SES

Trees downed in the Sutherland Shire. Picture: NSW SES

People were urged to move their cars away from trees, park undercover, secure and put away loose items around the home, and steer clear of fallen power lines.

Today the SES said the wild weather was beginning to ease, but warned people to check the Bureau for updates, and advised motorists to take care.

Train commuters have also been told to allow extra travel time with possible delays to some services due to the wet weather conditions.

Train services were also delayed on the T1 North Shore Line following a medical emergency at Town Hall this morning.

âš  Delays to some services on the #NorthShoreLine due to a medical emergency at Town Hall earlier

Please allow extra travel time, check real time apps for up-to-date information and listen for announcements.https://t.co/Y5LCSMeET1 📱 pic.twitter.com/YXPFVlY8fS

— T1 Sydney Trains (@T1SydneyTrains) June 4, 2019

All other train services were operating normally this morning following a number of interruptions yesterday caused the wet weather slowing passenger boarding times.

NSW Police have urged drivers, riders and pedestrians to stay safe as the wild weather hits.

Those using the roads are being advised to exercise caution, with emergency services attending a number of incidents due to the poor conditions.

Assistant Commissioner Michael Corboy said roads will be slippery and visibility poor, and stressed the need to go slow and follow directions.

“It’s not just your life at risk — it’s the lives of the emergency service workers some of whom are volunteers,” he said in a statement.

Sydneysiders will get a bit of a reprieve from the wild weather that has lashed NSW as winds and rain start to ease although a severe weather warning is still in place for parts of the state.

An intense Tasman low and associated cold front produced winds averaging 60 to 70km/h, with gusts of more than 90km/h on Tuesday.

A severe weather warning for damaging surf was still in place on Tuesday night for parts of the Sydney metropolitan, Mid-North Coast, Illawarra and Hunter districts.

However, the Bureau of Meteorology said the steady rain day would become more intermittent heading into the evening.

Strong winds were also expected to begin easing off throughout Tuesday night and into Wednesday as the low in the Tasman moves further east, which means “the effects of it will be less felt in Sydney over the next 12 to 24 hours”, a BOM spokeswoman told AAP.

On Tuesday, about 5cm of snow settled on Katoomba, Blackheath and the surrounding areas, with falls also recorded in the Central Tablelands.

Qantas and Virgin Australia warned the wild weather could affect flights and urged travellers to check with their airlines for updates.

Ferries between Manly and Circular Quay had to be cancelled because of the large swell but by Tuesday evening, services were resuming.

NSW Police are urging drivers, riders and pedestrians to stay safe as the wild weather hits.

Ulladullah, on the South Coast, recorded a wind gust of 130km/h just before 4am yesterday — the highest in its nine years of data. Sydney Airport recorded a gust of 91km/h at 10am.