Trees down, fires flare as 80km/h winds lash the Riverina

THE Riverina was lashed with near-gale force winds for several hours on Wednesday, toppling trees onto homes, roads and powerlines as a vigorous westerly change swept through the region.

Weather conditions deteriorated rapidly throughout the afternoon, with hot, dry air and powerful winds driving fire danger ratings to their highest levels since the Black Summer bushfires.

In Junee, a large tree branch came crashing down onto powerlines on the Olympic Highway — also known as Main Street — about 2.30pm.

The incident forced the closure of both lanes for more than 90 minutes as crews worked to free the tree and clear debris.

Photo: © The Junee Bulletin

Photo: © The Junee Bulletin

Photo: © The Junee Bulletin

Surrounding local roads were also shut down, with Junee SES and Junee Shire Council assisting with traffic control.

Arborists worked through intense conditions to remove the large gum branch, which was resting on live powerlines near the corner of Cox Street, as winds gusting above 70km/h battered the region.

As crews worked to clear the mess, a large branch from a second tree came crashing down just metres from a SES and council workers, forcing them to retreat to a safer position.

Photo: © The Junee Bulletin

Photo: © The Junee Bulletin

Wagga Airport recorded sustained winds of up to 56km/h and a peak gust of 82km/h at 3pm, with gusts exceeding 70km/h for a continuous three-hour period.

By 7pm, winds had eased significantly, dropping back to 37km/h with sustained winds falling to 26km/h.

The Bureau of Meteorology recorded a top temperature of 29.6°C at 1.45pm, although the powerful winds kept conditions feeling much cooler.

The apparent temperature failed to climb above 20°C for the entire day.

At the height of the winds, a large tree crashed down onto a home in the Wagga suburb of Tolland, trapping one of two elderly occupants inside.

Emergency services were able to free the resident, and fortunately, neither occupant was injured.

Meanwhile, an Emergency Warning was briefly issued for a fast-moving grass fire that broke out under extreme conditions roughly four kilometres northwest of The Rock.

The fire ignited along Bullenbong–The Rock Road shortly before 4pm under strong westerly winds, with crews arriving to find a rapidly advancing fire front moving east towards The Rock–Collingullie Road.

By 4.40pm, the incident had escalated to an Emergency Warning, with residents urged to seek shelter immediately.

A fleet of NSW RFS crews and firefighting appliances were deployed to attack the fire, with firefighters gaining the upper hand as winds gradually eased.

The blaze was downgraded to Advice level at 6.15pm, following successful containment efforts.