In Sydney on Monday morning, trains were halted on the South Coast Line between Kiama and Albion Park because a fallen tree blocked the track at Shellharbour Junction. Normal services resumed about 1pm.

Trains were also briefly disrupted on the T1 North Shore Line between North Sydney and Gordon due to an unrelated power supply issue at Chatswood.

Transport NSW advised all users to allow extra travel time, listen to announcements and check information displays for service updates during the bout of wild weather.

Blizzard conditions are also forecast for parts of the Snowy Mountains district above 1400 metres leading the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service to recommend back-country travel be postponed until conditions improve.

The State Emergency Service overnight received 150 calls for assistance most of which were storm-related. It cautioned residents to be wary of tree debris and branches that may fall at any time during strong wind gusts.

Despite most of eastern Australia experiencing an unusually cold start to winter, the country registered its third-warmest autumn on record, Weatherzone meteorologist Ben Domensino said.

Australia’s average mean temperature between March and May was 23.44 degrees, which is 1.44 degrees above the 1961 to 1990 average. It was also the country’s wettest autumn in a decade, as Sydney registered its wettest January-May period on record.

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