The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe weather warning ahead of a vigorous southerly change that is expected to reach the South Coast overnight Tuesday, then move quickly north on Wednesday morning.

“Gale force southerly winds are likely along the coastal fringe between about Narooma and The Entrance for a brief period with the change,” the BOM said in its warning, issued at 3.08pm Tuesday.

Damaging winds of 55 to 65km/h with peak gusts of 90 km/h are likely for the coastal fringe of the Illawarra and South Coast forecast districts overnight Tuesday or early Wednesday.

The southerly will bring to an end the warmer-than-average October temperatures felt across the Illawarra in recent days. 

Temperatures continued to climb past the mid-30s in parts of the region on Wednesday, with conditions at Albion Park nudging closer to the hottest October day on record (38 degrees on October 13, 2004).

On Tuesday afternoon, the maximum hit 37.4 degrees at 2.18pm. The initial forecast top for Tuesday was 33 degrees.

Temperatures along the coast peaked earlier in the day, with a maximum of 33.8 degrees recorded at Bellambi Point at 11.42am.

By 3pm, the temperature had dropped almost 10 degrees to 24.1 on the coast.

Inland, temperatures at Albion Park dropped from 36.8 degrees to 31.4 degrees in five minutes, between 2.30pm and 2.35pm, before falling further to 28.7 degrees at 3pm.

Wednesday will be a different story. A cloudy day and a top of just 20 degrees is expected in Wollongong, while Albion Park is forecast to reach 22.

Bellambi Point 

Saturday  – 25.9°C

Sunday – 32.9°C

Monday – 35.3°C

Tuesday – 33.8°C (as of 3pm)

Albion Park

Saturday  – 30.1°C

Sunday – 33.0°C

Monday – 36.4°C

Tuesday – 37.4°C (as of 3pm)

Kiama

Saturday  – 27.6°C

Sunday – 31.9°C

Monday – 29.1°C

Tuesday – 30.9°C (as of 3pm)

Maximum temperatures recorded at Illawarra weather stations. Source: Bureau of Meteorology.