Prosper in a dynamic world
Search

End of wild weather in sight for NSW ports

 

The East Coast Low that brought heavy rainfall, flooding, damaging winds and surf to parts of NSW on the weekend has weakened, with conditions expected to ease later today. 

While rain rates have eased, heavy rainfall is still possible over the Illawarra, Sydney, Blue Mountains and parts of the Hunter on Monday. 

The map below shows one model’s forecast rainfall for Monday, with 80-100mm forecast across parts of Sydney and the Illawarra, with isolated totals up to 150mm possible.

  rain

Image: ECMWF 24-hour rainfall forecast to 1am on Tuesday, July 5. 

This rainfall is expected to ease across the Sydney and Illawarra districts this afternoon as the rain moves north towards the Hunter district.  

While rainfall will continue to impact the Hunter on Tuesday, the threat of heavy rainfall should pass as the low in the Tasman Sea continues to move towards New Zealand. 

Damaging winds have also eased overnight, however strong southeasterly winds continued to impact parts central and southern NSW on Monday morning. 

Sydney Airport recorded an average wind speed of 54 km/h (around 29 knots) at 11:30am on Monday morning.  

Strong winds should continue across the Sydney, Illawarra and Hunter districts on Monday and Tuesday, before easing on Wednesday.  

The map below shows the average strong winds impacting the central and southern NSW coastline on Monday afternoon. 

 wind

Image: Access-G average 10m wind speed at 4pm on Monday, July 4. 

The strong winds have also whipped up very heavy surf along the Sydney and Illawarra coastline which is likely to continue on Monday.  

Significant wave heights of over five metres could cause damage and coastal erosion, particularly those beaches that are exposed to the southeast swell.  

The map below shows the significant wave heights impacting central NSW on Monday afternoon. 

 waves

Image: Wave Watch III significant wave height at 4pm Monday, July 4. 

As demands on ports increase globally, relying on accurate weather data is key to optimising port and logistic operations. DTN APAC, a DTN company, delivers insightful, data-driven forecasts to port operators, allowing harbour masters, vessel transport services and pilotage to make informed, weather-influenced decisions. 

DTN APAC users have access to extensive weather data through an integrated dashboard plus the support of experienced, on-call meteorologists. We also deliver a full suite of metocean services, including wave and current modelling, data analysis and consulting. For more information, please contact us at apac.sales@dtn.com. 

Latest news

Satisfy your weather obsession with these news headlines from around the nation, and the world.

El Niño Is Here: What a Potential Record Event Means for Southeast Asia and Australia

  El Niño was officially declared in June 2026, raising the prospect of widespread impacts across Southeast Asia, from extreme heat and water shortages to higher energy demand and agricultural stress.   The World Meteorological Organization has warned countries to “prepare for it to be severe”, while several global forecast models suggest the event could rank among […]

How El Niño will shape Australian port operations in winter-spring 2026

Australian ports and marine pilots can expect a season of shifting wind and swell patterns through winter and spring 2026, as a developing El Niño brings the likelihood of drier conditions and more variable operating windows across the country’s coastline.  Will El Niño develop in 2026?  There are clear signs that an El Niño pattern is becoming […]

From Kimberley to northern NSW: Bushfire outlook flags risk for resources sector this winter

Bushfire risk doesn’t usually make headlines in June, but AFAC’s winter seasonal outlook is putting mining and resources operators on alert from the Kimberley to the NSW.  Australia’s official seasonal bushfire outlook for winter 2026 was released by AFAC on Thursday, May 28. The outlook predicts increased fire risk across the northern parts of the Great Sandy Desert and surrounds […]

The signal was there weeks earlier: forecasting one of the year’s biggest wind events

In mid-May 2026, DTN APAC meteorologists flagged a strengthening Southern Ocean pattern in model guidance, signalling an extended run of record-challenging wind conditions across the NEM.  Nearly three weeks later, NEM wind generation climbed from around 1.5GW to more than 9GW, supplying roughly one-third of the grid and coming within 1GW of the all-time generation record.  The event highlighted […]