AS wind gusts pick up around Newcastle, part of a roof on a Lemnos Parade apartment was ripped off.
Within the space of an hour Fire and Rescue NSW crews were called to The Hill at about 5.30pm on Monday afternoon, and two other separate incidents.
The Bureau of Meteorology MetEye displayed wind gusts of up to 60 kilometres, which caused wires to ark together on Scott Street in Newcastle and wires to fall down at Cooks Hill.
A Fire Rescue NSW spokesperson said crews arrived at each of the incidents and brought them under control.
A severe weather warning was issued earlier for Newcastle and parts of the Hunter.
A frontal system tracking north along the coast on Monday, October 16, is bringing damaging winds as it passes through the region.
Winds are expected to average 60 to 70 kilometres an hour with peak gusts of around 100 kilometres. The severe weather is expected to hang around into the evening and stretches from Wollongong to Forster.
Wind gusts of 98 kilometres have already been recorded at other locations including Mount Boyce and Camden.
The State Emergency Service advises that people should:
- Move vehicles under cover or away from trees.
- Secure or put away loose items around the house, yard and balcony.
- Keep at least 8 metres away from fallen power lines or objects that may be energised, such as fences.
- Trees that have been damaged by fire are likely to be more unstable and more likely to fall.
- Report fallen power lines to Ausgrid (131 388).
- Stay vigilant and monitor conditions. Note that the landscape may have changed following bushfires. For emergency help in floods and storms, ring your local SES Unit on 132 500.
Winds are forecast to ease below warning thresholds in the evening. It comes as a total fire ban remains in place across the Greater Hunter with an extreme Fire Danger Rating for the region on Monday.
