The Australian East Coast is currently taking a battering with strong southwesterly winds of up to 96km/h having been recorded today.

If you are anywhere near Australia's eastern coastline today, you should be feeling some cold and gusty conditions as southwesterly winds sweep along the coast. This is due to a strong low-pressure system, currently sitting just offshore of NSW, which as it circulates is directing cool, southwesterly winds along the eastern shoreline.

The largest gust so far recorded was at Green Cape on the NSW South Coast, at 96km/h, just after 10am this morning. Gabo Island off Victoria's East Gippsland coast has also received a gust of 95km/h during the morning. A large gust of 65km/h was recorded in Sydney Harbour, with winds maintaining at around 37km/h on Saturday afternoon.

A Gale Wind Warning was in place for the Macquarie Coast, Hunter Coast, Sydney Coast, Illawarra Coast, Batemans Coast and Eden Coast as well as a Strong Wind Warning for Sydney Closed Waters and Byron Coast on Saturday. Marine Wind Warnings are also in place for Victoria's and Queensland's eastern coasts.

These strong winds also have the potential to greatly increase wave height, with swells of up to 4-6 foot forecast for many areas, particularly for NSW's South Coast and Mid-North Coast. Therefore Hazardous Surf Warnings have been put in place for most of NSW's waters.

Conditions look to settle overnight as the low-pressure system moves further eastward offshore. As a high-pressure system looks to take over, wind speeds should significantly decrease and obtain a more easterly direction.

For more information on current warnings visit http://www.weatherzone.com.au/warnings.jsp