Strong winds and heavy rainfall disrupted air travel in Sydney on Tuesday, with airlines forced to cancel numerous domestic flights as Australia’s weather bureau warned of potential flash flooding across the country’s southeast.
At least 11 domestic flights operated by Qantas Airways and 12 by Virgin Australia were cancelled out of Sydney, according to the Sydney Airport website. International flights remained unaffected.
“Some services on Virgin Australia’s network have been impacted by adverse weather in Sydney and Newcastle today,” a Virgin spokesperson confirmed via email.
The Bureau of Meteorology issued warnings for coastal areas around Sydney, forecasting wind gusts of up to 125 km/h and rainfall as high as 120 mm within a six-hour window—roughly equivalent to the region’s average rainfall for the entire month of July.
“This system is quite dynamic and vigorous,” said Bureau forecaster Gabrielle Woodhouse. “We’re expecting conditions to escalate through the afternoon, raising the risk of flash flooding due to heavy rainfall over short periods.”
The low-pressure system is expected to move into the Tasman Sea by Wednesday and gradually weaken by Thursday.
In response to the extreme weather, more than 1,000 emergency service volunteers have been deployed across New South Wales, the state’s emergency services confirmed.
