Severe Weather Warning for Damaging Winds in Southeast NSW and ACT

Alert Details

Severe Weather Warning (type: severe_weather_warning, warning_id: IDN21037) issued by the Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) at 10:45 am AEST Saturday, 5 September 2026. The warning is effective immediately and expires at 9:45 am AEST Saturday, 5 September 2026. Severity level: High. Phase: renewal.

Affected Areas

The warning covers the Australian Capital Territory, Central Tablelands, Illawarra, Snowy Mountains, South Coast, South West Slopes and Southern Tablelands forecast districts in New South Wales, plus southern parts of the ACT. Specific locations that may be affected include Wollongong, Nowra, Bowral, Katoomba, Kiama and Ulladulla.

What You Should Do

Park your car under secure cover and away from trees, powerlines and drains. 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. Report fallen power lines to Ausgrid (131 388), Endeavour Energy (131 003), Essential Energy (132 080) or Evoenergy (131 093). For emergency help in storms, ring the SES on 132 500. The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service recommends postponing back country travel until conditions improve.

Expected Conditions

Damaging winds averaging 60 to 70 km/h with peak gusts around 100 km/h are forecast for parts of the Blue Mountains, Snowy Mountains and southern parts of the ACT around sunrise. Alpine areas above 1900 metres may see damaging winds averaging 80 to 90 km/h from the early morning. For the Illawarra, South Coast and northern parts of the Coastal Ranges, strong winds averaging 50 to 60 km/h with damaging wind gusts around 90 km/h are forecast from late morning. Blizzard conditions are possible over alpine areas above 1900 metres from mid afternoon until early evening.

Timeline

A strong northwesterly flow develops early Saturday morning ahead of a cold front that sweeps over southern parts of the state during the day, with winds tending westerly during the evening. Winds are expected to ease across much of the warning area during late afternoon and evening, though damaging winds may redevelop overnight in parts of the Snowy Mountains and South Coast Ranges and continue into Sunday morning.