Travellers to and from Sydney should expect flight and sea delays today as the city faces what has been described as the worst storm in years.
Up to 100 millimeters of rain drenched parts of the city last night causing flash flooding.
Strong winds blew over trees, umbrellas (we even saw a woman’s hair extensions on the street this morning) and caused damage to houses and some vehicles.
Image: Brendan Esposito
Transport NSW and local police have advised working Sydneysiders to avoid any ‘unnecessary’ travel as they deal to better manage public transport cancellations and delays.
At the international gateway, Sydney Airport has advised travellers on Twitter that flights are still operational despite winds of up to 40 to 60 kilometres per hour.
The airport said passengers on domestic services could face delays of up to 45 minutes.
Domestic delays of up to 45 min @SydneyAirport due to weather. Passengers advised to check with their airlines for latest flight details. — Sydney Airport (@SydneyAirport) April 20, 2015
International services are currently operating on schedule.
However, Sydney Airport also tweeted out a warning for travellers to allow extra time for travel to and from the airport.
According to the gateway, roads leading to the airport were backed up with excessive traffic this morning.
Traffic is heavy on roads around the airport this morning. Delays are occurring so please leave plenty of time for your journey. — Sydney Airport (@SydneyAirport) April 20, 2015
In the sea, Carnival Spirit and its 2,124 passengers are unable to return to Sydney, where the ship was scheduled to dock this morning.
The ship was unable to return to the harbour and is said to have suffered damage from the wild weather.
Damage to Carnival Spirit’s satellite system.
Damages are believed to have been made to a hand railing plus the onboard satellite system.
One cruiser spoke to ABC radio and said the waves are ‘not pleasant’
“It’s been like this all night. I don’t think many people got much sleep.”
Debbie from Cherrybrook
The cruise line is hoping the ship will berth in Sydney tomorrow.
KarryOn will update this story as more news comes to hand.
Meanwhile, Scenic Tours has advised that its customer service call centre is closed.
Due to the severe weather experienced in the Hunter Region the State Emergency Service early this morning issued an advice for residents to remain at home.
The tour operator anticipates it will be able to reopen at 7.30am tomorrow morning.
