Waves of more than eight metres were recorded off the Wollongong coast on Monday night, as beachgoers face another day of huge swells pummelling the region’s beaches.
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The Bureau of Meteorology issued a warning on Tuesday morning for large and powerful surf conditions that are expected to make it hazardous for coastal activities such as swimming, surfing and rock fishing throughout the day.
A maximum wave height of 8.4 metres was recorded off Port Kembla about 11pm on Monday, according to the Manly Hydraulics Laboratory.
At the same time, the significant wave height (the average wave height, from trough to crest, of the highest one-third of the waves) was 4.24 metres.
A southerly swell of three to four metres is forecast for Illawarra coastal waters on Tuesday, before decreasing to one to two metres during the afternoon.
Weatherzone meteorologist Brett Dutschke said the intense low-pressure system that was responsible for the cold change that hit the region over the weekend was behind the big surf.
“The reason the swell only peaked late yesterday and overnight was that the low has now come off the NSW coast, directing its energy onto the NSW coast,” Mr Dutschke said.
“From this point on it will continue to move away, and hence the swell and waves on the Sydney coast will drop, and also the south coast, where conditions have been even bigger.
“The north coast of NSW will get an increase today but it won't be nearly as high as what it got to in Sydney and further south.”
The swell is expected to continue to drop on Wednesday and will stay low for the rest of the week and into the weekend.
Away from the water, a mostly sunny Tuesday is forecast across the Illawarra.
A maximum of 25 degrees are expected in Wollongong, reaching 27 degrees inland.
Conditions will be warmer on Wednesday – 27 degrees in Wollongong and 29 at Albion Park.
A southerly change is expected to bring cooler weather and the chance of showers on Thursday.