3pm: A strong cold front has whipped up wind gusts of more than 70km/h as it moved through the Illawarra on Wednesday afternoon, cutting power to some areas and dumping small hail in others.
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About 380 Endeavour Energy customers at Stanwell Park are expected to be without power for most of the afternoon after an outage caused by the storm activity.
The company says the estimated restoration time was 6pm.
Westerly wind gusts of 74km/h at Albion Park (2.04pm) and 72km/h at Bellambi (2.18pm) were recorded as the front moved through.
The temperature at Bellambi dropped six degrees in half an hour – from 23.1 degrees at 2pm to 17.2 degrees at 2.30pm.
At 2.30pm, the apparent temperature on the coast was just 8.8 degrees.
Small hail has been reported in some suburbs, including Warrawong, Unanderra and Farmborough Heights.
11.15am: A strong cold front will bring a wintry chill to the Illawarra from Wednesday afternoon, ending the region’s recent run of relatively mild autumn weather.
The Bureau of Meteorology has issued multiple warnings – on land and at sea – to coincide with the weather system’s arrival.
One of the warnings is for gale force winds along the Illawarra coast on Wednesday and Thursday.
A separate alert for cold temperatures has also been issued, with Illawarra and South Coast sheep graziers warned of cool conditions, showers and strong westerly winds.
“There is a risk of losses of lambs and sheep exposed to these conditions,” the bureau said.
On the water, large and powerful surf conditions are set to develop on Wednesday evening.
Conditions on the water are expected to be hazardous for coastal activities such as rock fishing, swimming and surfing until Friday, the bureau said.
Winds are likely to increase in strength from Wednesday afternoon, as a cold front over the southwest of the state moves through the Illawarra.
The winds will only start to slacken by Friday, senior Weatherzone meteorologist Jacob Cronje said.
“The wind chill will also be significant,” Mr Cronje said.
“The evenings are going to feel very, very cold.”
Overnight lows of between 8 and 11 degrees are forecast in Albion Park and Wollongong between now and Friday.
Those temperatures would probably feel a couple of degrees colder, particularly along the coastal strip, Mr Cronje said, thanks to the wind chill.
A maximum temperature of 21 degrees is forecast in Wollongong on Wednesday, with a medium chance of showers during the late morning and afternoon.
Northwesterly winds of 15 to 25km/h will turn west to southwesterly and strengthen to 35 to 55km/h during the afternoon.
There is also the chance of a thunderstorm during the afternoon in parts of the Illawarra.
The city can expect a top of just 18 degrees on Thursday and 20 on Friday. Inland temperatures, at Albion Park, will be one degree warmer each day.
The dangerous surf conditions are the result of a low pressure system developing over the Tasman Sea.
The main swell direction is predicted to be from the south with a period of 10-12 seconds, Surf Life Saving NSW (SLSNSW) said.
“Swells of between 3 and 5 metres will hit the southern parts of NSW throughout Wednesday afternoon and continue to travel up the coast throughout the remainder of the week,” SLSNSW said in a statement.
SLSNSW operations manager Andy Kent said the best advice for people was “to be aware of their environment and always pay attention to the conditions”.
“South facing beaches and exposed headlands will experience the worst of the conditions with rock fishers advised to reconsider their plans for a few days,” Mr Kent said.
When the winds and surf conditions ease, swimming may again be an option for those willing to brave the beach.
Sea-surface temperatures off Wollongong continue to be on the warm side, with 23 degrees reported by Beachwatch on Wednesday.