Shocking footage captured a car crushed by a tree as destructive winds wreaked havoc in south-east Australia, leaving one woman dead and several people injured.
Winds of more than 100km/h have hit New South Wales, Tasmania and Victoria since Sunday night, leaving one woman dead after a tree fell on her holiday cottage.
The footage also showed the moment another woman became trapped in a car against a tree on Brigalow Avenue in Camden South, west of Sydney, at 11.15am on Monday.
The woman, who was in the vehicle with another occupant, was carefully freed by emergency services and quickly taken to hospital.
A bushfire has also broken out on the Princes Highway south of Sydney, fuelled by 89km/h winds; rural firefighters have the blaze under control.
Numerous flights have been cancelled from Sydney Airport and the airport has been operating only one of its three runways due to the winds.
Delays have also been experienced across the public transport system, with trains running late due to a power outage at Granville.
The NSW SES has responded to more than 800 incidents across the state in the past 24 hours, with the majority in the south-east and greater Sydney.
A woman south of Sydney was carefully freed from a car after a tree fell onto her driveway.
Strong winds of over 100km/h in Sydney have caused widespread destruction
The woman was taken to hospital along with the other occupant of the vehicle after being freed.
Residents have been advised to move vehicles under cover and away from trees, and to secure loose items outside.
The Met Office has forecast that these winds will continue until this afternoon, before easing later tonight.
NSW Police will prepare a report for the coroner following the death of a 67-year-old woman after a tree fell on a cabin she was staying in at a holiday park in Moama, on the NSW-Victoria border.
A man, also 63, was taken to hospital with minor injuries.
Qantas cancelled 25 flights departing from Sydney Airport, Virgin Australia cancelled 13 flights, Jetstar cancelled 10 and Rex cancelled two.
More than 120,000 Victorians were left without power and 660 homes damaged after a night of strong winds and abnormally high tides, with some schools and nurseries forced to close.
Victoria’s State Emergency Service received 2,800 calls for help between 7pm on Sunday and 10am on Monday, including 1,350 related to fallen trees. Warragul, Moe and Emerald are the worst affected areas.
Crews are working to restore power to 34,600 customers in western Victoria after destructive winds toppled trees and branches onto power poles, cables and other infrastructure.
The SES has responded to more than 800 incidents related to destructive winds in the last 24 hours
First Minister Jacinta Allan thanked emergency workers for supporting her community in difficult conditions.
“They worked through the night and they continue to work during the day. Thank you for your incredibly selfless work during this difficult time,” he told reporters on Monday.
State emergency services have warned against unnecessary travel after winds reached 146km/h in Wilsons Promontory National Park.
Gusts exceeding 100km/h were also recorded in Melbourne’s suburbs, including 113km/h in St Kilda.
Numerous schools were left without power and some closed, including St Helena Secondary College in Eltham and Yarra Ranges Special Developmental School, with students ordered to undertake remote learning during the day.
Winds of more than 110 km/h in Melbourne knocked down the facade of a building in the city
Tasmania was also hit by severe weather on Sunday, with significant damage to trees, property, power lines and infrastructure.
Peak wind gusts overnight reached 157 km/h at King Island Airport and 130 km/h at Launceston Airport.
The River Derwent below Meadowbank Dam is likely to exceed the main flood level of 7.3 metres on Monday, while emergency services are warning residents in White Hills, near Launceston, to remain vigilant for the next 12 hours.
TasNetworks said there were around 10,000 customers without power and emergency services were expected to provide an update on Monday afternoon.
Sydney
Monday: Sunny. Very windy. Min. 16 °C. Max. 25 °C.
Tuesday: Sunny. Min. 10 °C. Max. 18 °C.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny. Min. 10 °C. Max. 18 °C.
Melbourne
Monday: Rainfall decreases: wind. Min. 10 °C Max. 14 °C
Tuesday: Partly cloudy. Min. 8 °C Max. 17°C
Wednesday: Wind increasing. Partly cloudy. Min. 9 °C Max. 20 °C
Brisbane
Monday: Sunny. Windy. Min. 19 °C. Max. 33 °C.
Tuesday: Sunny. Min. 16 °C Max. 25 °C
Wednesday: Partly cloudy. Min. 13 °C Max. 23°C
Perth
Monday: Sunny. Min. 9 °C Max. 25 °C
Tuesday: One or two showers. Min. 12 °C Max. 21 °C
Wednesday: Rain. Min. 13 °C Max. 20 °C
Adelaide
Monday: Possible early rain. Min. 11 °C Max. 17 °C
Tuesday: Sunny. Minimum 7 °C Maximum 20 °C
Wednesday: Possible formation of showers. Min. 12 °C Max. 25 °C
Hobart
Monday: Rainfall decreases. Wind. Minimum 6 °C Maximum 12 °C
Tuesday: Partly cloudy. Min. 7 °C Max. 15°C
Wednesday: One or two showers. Min. 7 °C Max. 19 °C
Canberra
Monday: Windy. Partly cloudy. Min. 9 °C. Max. 14°C.
Tuesday: Sunny. Min. 1 °C. Max. 16 °C.
Wednesday: Early frosts. Mostly sunny. Min. 0 °C. Max. 19 °C.
Darwin
Monday: Sunny. Minimum 23 °C Maximum 35 °C
Tuesday: Sunny. Minimum 23 °C Maximum 35 °C
Wednesday: Sunny. Minimum 23 °C Maximum 36 °C
