Thunderstorms are set to hit large swathes of Australia with warnings of heavy rain, flash floods, damaging winds and significant hail.
The Met Office said the storms would affect Sydney, the NSW central coast, the Central Slope and the Northern Territories from late Tuesday afternoon into Wednesday.
The northern half of the country is also set to get drenched while South Australia braces for its longest bout of sweltering heat in more than three years.
Temperatures across South Australia are set to soar into the mid-40s in some regional centers with the state government issuing a “code red” in preparation for the heatwave.
Code Red is issued when severe weather is on the way and is intended to minimize harmful effects on people sleeping outdoors.
The four-day Code Red will run from 1 p.m. on Wednesday and end on Saturday morning and is in place to remind people to check in with their neighbors.
Those sleeping rough will also have access to emergency accommodations in the state.
It will continue to rain on Wednesday before moving up the coast into Queensland
The office issued a warning of bad weather, including torrential rains, damaging winds and hail in isolated areas
The East Coast was set to shift south as a potentially dangerous weather system moved up the coast on Tuesday and Wednesday, said Weather Area meteorologist Joel Peppard.
“This system is expected to bring moderate to heavy rain at times and some thunderstorms to the Sydney, Hunter and Central North Coast regions, potentially exploiting excess moisture around the East Australian Current (EAC),” he said.
This summer’s La Niña phenomenon and persistent easterly winds have helped the East Asian region. It flows right down the coast, bringing waters about 1.5 – 3.0°C higher than normal.
The system should reach Brisbane later in the week, bringing heavy rain before moving off the coast.
Brilliant change heading towards Australia’s east coast was coming in the form of a “southern buster”, said Rob Sharp of Sky Weather.
“Sydney, Central Coast, and Wollongong have a chance to see storms and they can be severe,” he said.
“A wet, windy change will move up the coast into southern Queensland by Thursday.”
Melbourne looks set to avoid the system and it’s sunny for a week as the city feels some of the effects of the South African heatwave by Friday reaching 35C.
A band of clouds along the East Australian Current contributes to the wet weather system
Cumulative precipitation for the next three days shows that some areas of the coast are expected to experience some storms
In Adelaide, the mercury is expected to reach 40°C on Thursday and Friday, before a milder change.
But temperatures will rise in many regional centers as Nullarpur, in the west of the state, records 45 degrees Celsius on Wednesday and Thursday.
After mild summers, South Australia is set to experience its longest string of sweltering days since December 2019, chief meteorologist Simon Timke of the Met Office said.
At the time, Adelaide had four above 35C days in the middle of the month and then six above 35C days at the end of the month.
“We have a large mass of very hot air over the northwest and central part of the continent,” Timke said.
We had a spell of warm weather last week, but a change has pushed that hot air back over far northern South Australia.
“But once the high-pressure system currently south of Tassie Bay moves out east of Tassie, that will shift the winds to the north and pull all of this hot air downward over the southern parts of the state.”
Conditions will also raise wildfire risks, with Friday shaping up as the worst day with winds building as the change continues.
Timke said the timing of the cooler change is still somewhat unclear.
The outlook prompted SA Health to urge everyone to take steps to stay cool indoors and avoid outdoor activity if possible, especially in the hottest part of the day.
SA Health said early signs of dehydration and heat-related illness include heavy sweating, elevated body temperature, feeling dizzy or faint, fatigue, decreased appetite and increased thirst.
A more serious condition, heatstroke, is also possible and requires urgent medical attention.
Signs of heatstroke included a dry, swollen tongue, a sudden rise in body temperature to over 40°C, confusion or delirium, convulsions, and a rapid pulse.
“Heat affects everyone except for certain groups such as infants, young children, pregnant women, the elderly and people with chronic health conditions who are at greater risk than others,” said Nicola Spurrier, South Australia’s chief public health officer.
“And it’s important to check on your loved ones during hot weather, especially if they live alone.”
