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This morning, by 10:30, a significant disruption in domestic air travel was evident. Over 50 inbound flights were canceled, along with 40 scheduled departures that were also halted.
Steven Pearce, the chief executive of Surf Life Saving, issued a stark warning regarding the weather conditions facing New South Wales. He noted that the state is bracing for swells not seen in decades along its coastline.
According to Pearce, the coastline will be battered by swells ranging from seven to eleven meters, coupled with winds surpassing 100 km/h. “It truly is going to be a hazardous and ferocious weekend for anyone venturing near the coastline,” he cautioned.
The most intense swells are anticipated to hit tonight, prompting a damaging surf warning. This could lead to erosion and flooding in coastal regions.
While these severe conditions are predicted to subside by tomorrow morning, the hazardous surf warning will persist throughout the day to ensure public safety.
Those conditions are expected to ease by tomorrow morning, however the hazardous surf warning will remain in place for the rest of the day.
Pearce urged people to stay out of the water this weekend, warning the conditions are so rough that Surf Life Saving may not be able to use jetskis in some locations.
Some Sydney ferry services will also stop running after 8pm today due to the high swells.
“That system has now moved offshore, and we are now expecting a very cold system behind it,” she told Today.
“That is because of an offshore low-pressure system that is spitting up some very strong winds, some very large surf [and] some very big waves as well.”
Temperatures across Sydney today are expected to reach highs of 21 degrees with 130km/h winds already being recorded across the city. 
The State Emergency Service (SES) has said that damaging winds and large swell are expected to carry on throughout the entire weekend across most of the NSW coastline.
The SES responded to 591 incidents in 24 hours, mostly across Dubbo and Sydney’s Northern Beaches after strong winds tore down trees, causing damage to homes and infrastructure.
”Even though the thunderstorms have passed, this system is now bringing a different set of risks with strong winds and dangerous surf expected right along the coast,” NSW SES State Duty Commander, Assistant Commissioner Dean Storey said.
“We’re asking people to stay indoors during strong winds, keep clear of trees and powerlines, and secure anything around their home that could become airborne.”
SES responders were called to a street in Hornsby last night after a tree was ripped from its roots and damaged two homes.
Firefighters had to cut through branches of the fallen tree to rescue a person who was inside one of the homes the tree collapsed on.
“I didn’t feel it was safe to stay [at the home] last night,” a resident told 9News.
”But we had no choice.”
Last night’s wild conditions halted Metro services between Sydenham and Chatswood and left thousands without power across Sydney.
Transport around the city is now back up and running.
Melbourne feels the brunt of bitter cold snap
Sydney’s wild weather is causing havoc for passengers on the ground in Melbourne, with more than 40 flights cancelled.
More than 20 Qantas, Virgin and Jetstar flights to Sydney from Melbourne have been cancelled, along with 20 arrivals.
Qantas is running additional flights tomorrow to accommodate passengers.
The unseasonably chilly conditions brought Victoria’s first snowflakes, with the mercury plummeting below zero at Mt Hotham, bringing 15cm of fresh snow.
Conditions are expected to improve slightly tomorrow.
High winds and heavy rain has battered Melbourne over the last 24 hours, with more than 430 SES requests for assistance since midday yesterday.
SES Victoria received 25 calls about flooding, 80 for building damage and 275 reports of trees down.
Kilmore, Heidelberg, Moorabbin and Whittlesea were some of the worst hit areas.
The city peaked at 16.7 degrees today, with rain totals between 3mm and 11mm seen across Melbourne.
As much as 62mm of rain was dumped on parts of regional Gippsland since midnight.
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