A cold snap and storm-surging seas have continued to smash the east coast into the weekend.
Footage captured at Cronulla, south of Sydney overnight, shows massive swells slamming into the shoreline, soaking people out for a walk and inundating the footpath.
High tide just before 5.30am combined with a “vigorous coastal low offshore” brought gale force southerly winds and “very powerful seas”, the Bureau of Meteorology said.
“The low is expected to move slowly east into the Tasman Sea and weaken during this evening.”
Particularly rough seas at the Easter long weekend a year ago claimed five lives in NSW, with a sixth person dying in Victoria.
The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a hazardous surf warning until Monday for the entire NSW coast, warning people against rock fishing, boating and swimming.
Winds up to 85km/h are forecast along the NSW coast today, with swells reaching seven to nine metres, easing to five-six metres about midday.
Some 50 domestic flights in and out of Sydney were cancelled due to wild weather on Friday. Only a handful of flights have been cancelled on Saturday.
The low pressure system has sparked a cold snap being felt up and down the eastern states.
Brisbane’s daily minimum has dropped some six degrees to 14C, while Melburnians woke up to a brisk, wet and deeply overcast weekend.
The NSW ski resorts have seen unseasonably early snow this week, and farmers across the eastern states have been warned lambs and sheep left out in the elements could die.
As Tropical Cyclone Narelle makes it way down WA’s east coast, Perth has been drenched.
The WA capital saw its wettest March day in more than 90 years on Friday, Sky News meteorologist Rob Sharpe said, and it’s wettest day for any time of the year in three years.
