One woman dies in Victoria’s Yarra Ranges and four-year-old fighting for his life after tree falls on family’s car

Strong winds have continued to lash parts of New South Wales on Saturday, with snow hitting the Blue Mountains and stranding some drivers on the Great Western highway before it was reopened.

And in Victoria, where one woman died on Friday after a tree fell on a car, the cold, rain and strong winds were forecast to stick around this weekend.

The Bureau of Meteorology has predicted “Antarctic” wind gusts in NSW exceeding 90km/h for the Illawarra, high parts of the south coast, the Central Tablelands, Southern Tablelands and the Snowy Mountains.

Wild weather: severe winds, snow, surf and rain lash Victoria, South Australia and NSW Read more

A severe warning for damaging winds was cancelled for Sydney but a strong wind alert remained in place for the coastal waterways.

Hazardous surf was also predicted for the state’s coast except the Byron region.

The bureau reported snow in Katoomba, Goulburn and the Central Tablelands. There had also been snow in Victoria at Mount Dandenong and Eastern Melbourne.

SNOWSEARCH australia (@SNOWSEARCH_aus) WOW!! The Three Sisters in the Blue Mountains!! ❄😍



Video: Christine Tanner pic.twitter.com/wePIgEeXa3

Hayden Quinn (@hayden_quinn) The Blue Mountains are turning white ❄️ #bluemountainsnsw #visitnsw pic.twitter.com/aNvUcsXmMr

NSW Police Force (@nswpolice) Blue Mountains police advise they've just temporarily closed the Great Western Highway westbound from Dalrymple Ave at Wentworth Falls due to icy road conditions. It's likely this will change throughout the day so please check https://t.co/exN4TmGlhv for updates.

Amy Davis (@Ivyadams) Spot the black cockie! #bluemountains pic.twitter.com/nFKcaJUUbl

The bureau said the last of a series of cold fronts sweeping across NSW would clear early on Monday.

The winds topped 113km/h on the south coast’s Montague Island on Friday and triple-digit gust speeds were also recorded at Kiama and Bellambi.

The damaging winds ripped the roof off the Presbyterian Aged Care centre at Stockton, in Newcastle, on Friday, forcing the evacuation of about 30 people.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Snow machines clear the car park at Guthega on the upper reaches of the Snowy River in NSW. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) We're hearing reports of #snow in parts of the Central Tablelands, South West Slopes and Southern Tablelands in #NSW. Have you seen any? Send us your photos and location! Meanwhile, check the snow forecast in MetEye: https://t.co/jGJvZ5pkmz pic.twitter.com/nC3UvUbb8o

Police were urging motorists to drive with caution after snow-affected roads caused multiple collisions near Jindabyne.

One incident involved a police car and three other vehicles, travelling about 30km/h on Friday.

The three cars attempted to stop but collided after sliding on the roads along Alpine way.

There were also about eight other vehicles that lost control along the road and became involved in the incident.

Another five managed to avoid the collision but became stuck in snow on the side of the road.

Snow and ice continue to affect roads in the Blue Mountains, including the Mitchell Highway between Orange and Bathurst and the Mid Western Highway around Fitzgeralds Mount.

The SES received more than 900 requests for help since midnight on Thursday, including 370 in the Sydney region.

Almost 200 new jobs came in since midnight on Saturday, most relating to fallen trees and branches, and some reporting roof damage.

In Victoria, more than 700 people called the State Emergency Service for help on Friday, mostly for fallen trees, as the damaging cold front swept through the state.

A large tree fell on a family’s car at Fernshaw, in the Yarra Ranges, killing a woman.

A four-year-old boy was fighting for his life in the Royal Children’s hospital and a second boy, five, was expected to be discharged later on Saturday. The male driver was taken to the Alfred hospital.

Play Video 1:06 Wild weather in Victoria dumps snow and snaps Frankston Pier near Melbourne – video

In south-east Melbourne, rough seas claimed part of Frankston’s pier, with the end of the structure snapping off and floating away.

The suburb copped winds of 95km/h while gusts of 128km/h were recorded at Wilsons Promontory.

The winds were expected to ease on Saturday to between 60 and 70km/h. But conditions were forecast to be very cold and wet, with falls of 20-40mm predicted for central Victoria and parts of Gippsland.

Bureau of Meteorology, Victoria (@BOM_Vic) Check out the snow at Mt Macedon! (Photo thanks to @1001metres) Snow ❄️ has been reported below 500m across the Central Highlands and Dandenongs this morning. Cold air remains through the weekend so more flurries are likely. Get your forecast: https://t.co/pAmZovV124 pic.twitter.com/yRPKPT9kPR

“No doubt it will feel much colder because of the wind chill,” the Bureau of Meteorology duty forecaster Keris Arndt said.

“Cool conditions really stay with us through the weekend though they will ease off by mid next week – but it will take a little while to get there.”