Strong winds caused major flight delays at Australia's busiest air hub Sydney Airport on Friday morning, with authorities warning of severe weather across the region continuing into the weekend.

The winds caused two of the air hub's three runways to close, with domestic and international flights affected, according to airport authorities.

Stranded passengers filled the airport's departure halls, with flights canceled as early as Thursday evening, local media reported.

The latest delays came a day after strong winds combined with record drought conditions in New South Wales to whip up a dust storm toward state capital Sydney, shrouding buildings and lowering air quality to hazardous levels.

Damaging winds were set to hit swathes of the southeastern region on Friday, with peak gusts topping 90 kph before easing over the weekend, according to a severe weather warning from the national bureau of meteorology.

State emergency services also advised residents to avoid fallen power cables and stay alert for other contingencies.