Strong winds ground planes at Sydney Airport
Multiple flights have been cancelled or delayed out of Sydney as heavy winds restrict the airport to a single runway.
Just before 8am AEDT, 26 departures had been cancelled along with 23 arrivals - more than a quarter of flights in either direction.
Arriving flights are delayed by an average of 13 minutes, compared to an average six-minute delay for departures.
"Yesterday evening Airservices Australia advised airlines of the possibility of single runway operations today due to potential strong winds at the airport," a Sydney Airport spokesperson said.
"As a result a number of airlines have decided to consolidate services."
Passengers travelling today are advised to get in touch with their airline to check the status of their flights.
The SES said damaging wind gusts of more than 90km/hr were expected parts of the state, including in the central and southern ranges and coastal parts of the Illawarra and South Coast this morning.
As of 11pm overnight, winds of up to 126km/hr had been recorded at Thredbo, along with 102km/hr gusts at Murrurundi Gap and 98km/hr at Scone in the Hunter region.
NSW SES volunteers had received 250 calls for help in the 24 hours preceding 11pm, and a total of 421 since the beginning of this weather event.
Conditions are expected to ease by noon, but may persist longer in the state's south-east.
Water bombers called in to fight Queensland bushfires
Rain band sweeping across states
The sudden switch from scorching heat to soaking rain for much of eastern Australia in recent days has been underscored in a satellite image showing a rain band stretching across multiple states.
NSW and Victoria have multiple weather warnings in place for wind, rain, and floods, on the heels of destructive fires in both states.
Weatherzone published an image yesterday afternoon showing the rainband extending from southern Queensland down through Victoria.
The plus signs indicate lightning strikes, mostly focused in NSW's north-east.
"Spring storms in sub-tropical regions tend to form at the confluence of warm and cool airmasses, and the background colours indicate the significant temperature differential between northeastern NSW and the rest of the state either side of the rainband," Weatherzone said.
Severe weather warnings are in place for both northern and southern NSW.
