Severe winds exceeding 120km/h were observed throughout southern Australia as a cold front moved in yesterday, with millions still facing the impact today. Dean Narramore, a senior meteorologist from the Bureau of Meteorology, reported extensive “strong to damaging” winds affecting South Australia, Victoria, and parts of southern New South Wales.
At Mount Hotham in Victoria, wind gusts reached 126km/h, while Thredbo in NSW recorded 115km/h, and both Mount Buller and Falls Creek in Victoria saw gusts of 110km/h. In metropolitan Melbourne, wind speeds varied between 60km/h and 80km/h, which also contributed to significant dust storms in South Australia and Victoria.
Rainfall recorded in the Mount Lofty and Adelaide Hills regions of South Australia ranged from 30mm to 50mm, marking one of the wettest days for many areas since the previous winter or early spring. In contrast, rainfall in Victoria was milder, with totals between 5mm and 15mm.
Despite the severity of the weather, some regions in South Australia and Victoria remain under wind and high tide warnings. Conditions are expected to become less severe and start clearing by this afternoon.
New South Wales is also bracing for damaging winds today, particularly in flood-affected areas such as the Mid North Coast and northern Hunter regions, as well as the Northern Tablelands, Illawarra, Blue Mountains, and South Coast. Gusts are predicted to reach or exceed 90km/h, with an additional 20mm to 40mm of rain already recorded in the already saturated northern NSW and Hunter region, although conditions should improve by afternoon.
Expectations are that the weather will settle down by tonight and into tomorrow.