Overview
If your natural response to winter is to stay indoors, rug up, make friends with your couch and activate hibernation mode, you might be feeling rather happy about your usual frosty routine over the weekend of Saturday, July 13 and Sunday, July 14. Thanks to a cold front that's currently moving through New South Wales from the alpine region, the Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting blustering winds across Sydney for the next two days, with gusts potentially reaching 90 kilometres per hour.
BOM has issued a severe weather warning for the possibly damaging winds, noting that they'll blow west to southwesterly, especially on Saturday. While the present cold front is anticipated to ease on Saturday afternoon, another is due to make its presence known on Sunday, which means the breeziness will pick up once again.
The Bureau is specifically cautioning about winds of around 70–80 kilometres per hour in Sydney, and advises that gusts up to 90 kilometres per hour are possible. Folks in Illawarra, the eastern parts of the Central Tablelands — including the Blue Mountains — and Southern Tablelands, as well as the high country around the Upper Hunter and Barrington Tops, can all expect winds of 60–70 kilometres per hour in Illawarra, with gusts exceeding 90 kilometres per hour.
Sydneysiders are only being warned about Saturday so far, while those in the other aforementioned regions should factor more than a stiff breeze into their entire weekend. Temperatures in the city will only reach 15 degrees on Saturday and 16 on Sunday, which will help to keep things chilly regardless of the wind.
On Facebook, NSW SES recommends that residents secure loose items, and move vehicles undercover or away from trees. If you're not only venturing out of the house today, but to the airport, the windiness could interfere with flights into and out of the city — travellers in some parts of the country, such as the Gold Coast, have already been advised of possible delays due to Sydney's blustery conditions.
The winds are forecast to drop off on Monday, when the second cold front will move away from NSW.
Image: Jason Tong via Flickr.