Warnings

Severe Weather Warning (Damaging Winds) Illawarra, South Coast, Snowy Mountains &, Central Tablelands, S Tablelands, South West Slopes & ACT Tue 21 Oct 2025

Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology
New South Wales

TOP PRIORITY FOR IMMEDIATE BROADCAST

Severe Weather Warning 
for Damaging Winds

for Illawarra, South Coast, Snowy Mountains and parts of Metropolitan, Central Tablelands, Southern Tablelands, South West Slopes and Australian Capital Territory Forecast Districts.

Issued at 9:32 pm Tuesday, 21 October 2025.

Damaging winds developing early Wednesday morning.

Weather Situation
A frontal system moving across NSW on Wednesday will lead to a hot and gusty day across much of the state. Strengthening north to northwesterly winds across the elevated topography and in the east during the early morning will shift more westerly and extend to the southeast during the afternoon and evening. Conditions will ease early Thursday morning.
DAMAGING WINDS for the following areas:
Metropolitan, Illawarra, South Coast, Central Tablelands, Southern Tablelands, South West Slopes, Snowy Mountains and Australian Capital Territory
For the CENTRAL RANGES and COASTAL PARTS of the ILLAWARRA: DAMAGING WINDS averaging 55 to 65 km/h with gusts around 90 km/h are possible from early Wednesday morning, with gusts around 100 km/h likely during the afternoon.
 For the western and southern METROPOLITAN: DAMAGING WIND GUSTS of around 90 km/h are possible for parts of western and southern Sydney from the afternoon. With peak gusts around 100 km/h becoming likely overnight Wednesday into early Thursday morning.
 For the SOUTHERN RANGES: DAMAGING WINDS averaging 55 to 65 km/h with gusts around 90 km/h are possible from Wednesday morning, extending to the SOUTH COAST during the afternoon and evening. Winds increasing about elevated areas to 65 to 75 km/h with peak gusts up to 110 km/h during the afternoon and evening.
 For SNOWY MOUNTAINS and ALPINE AREAS: DAMAGING WINDS averaging 60 to 70 km/h are possible for areas above 1500 metres, with winds increasing to 80 to 90 km/h above 1900 metres.
 Conditions begin to ease about southern warning areas late Wednesday evening, easing about central areas early Thursday morning.
 Locations which may be affected include Wollongong, Nowra, Batemans Bay, Goulburn, Bowral, Eden, Katoomba, Cooma, Campbelltown, Braidwood, Bega, Thredbo Top Station and Moruya Heads.

The State Emergency Service advises that people should:
 * Move vehicles under cover or away from trees.
 * Secure or put away loose items around your house, yard and balcony.
 * Keep at least 8 metres away from fallen power lines or objects that may be energised, such as fences.
 * Trees that have been damaged by fire are likely to be more unstable and more likely to fall.
 * Report fallen power lines to either Ausgrid (131 388), Endeavour Energy (131 003), Essential Energy (132 080) or Evoenergy (131 093) as shown on your power bill.
 * Stay vigilant and monitor conditions. Note that the landscape may have changed following bushfires.
 * For emergency help in floods and storms, ring your local SES Unit on 132 500.

The next Severe Weather Warning will be issued by 5:00 am AEDT Wednesday.
Warnings are also available through TV and Radio broadcasts, the Bureau's website at www.bom.gov.au or call 1300 659 210. The Bureau and State Emergency Service would appreciate warnings being broadcast regularly.