MORE than 10,000 homes across the Illawarra and South Coast were without power over the past 24 hours as a result of record gale-force winds.
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300 Kiama homes were forced to sit through the cold night in the dark until power was restored early this morning. Across the region there are about 900 houses still without power.
There were more than 400 calls for assistance across the Illawarra and South Coast with around 100 still to be addressed this morning.
Among the many reports were those of trees down, roof damage, damage to skylights and smashed tiles, trampoline fly-aways and and power lines down.
While Sydney-siders were busy keeping their skirts and ties down in the wind tunnels of the city streets, the South Coast was hit hardest with winds reaching 117km per hour in Albion Park.
It was impossible to escape the wild gusts of yesterday and according to Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), there is more to come.
Damaging, gale-force winds averaging 60 to 65 km per hour, with gusts of 90 to 100 km per hour, are expected to redevelop again this morning.
This is expected to ease throughout the day, but there won’t be full relief until Friday.
The winds yesterday were caused by an intense low pressure system that passed through Bass Strait. Another low pressure trough will cross southeast NSW this morning, this system is weaker than that of yesterday, though gale-force winds are likely to redevelop.
The gales will combine with snowfall over the Snowy Mountains to produce blizzard conditions.
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