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Australians Residents are warned to prepare for a rainy week as a developing weather system brings severe storms, heavy rain and possible flash flooding.
The unseasonable rainfall that hit western and central Australia earlier this week is expected to move into southeastern Australia from Wednesday.
Meteorologist Johnathan How said a cold front approaching Victoria and Tasmania would “connect” with tropical moisture and bring heavy rain. in the southeast of the country.
“Thursday looks to be the wettest day on the forecast, especially in eastern parts of New South Wales,” How said.
Moderate to heavy rainfall is expected across much of the state, from the Illawarra region to the Greater Sydney and Greater Hunter areas, with up to 40mm of rain forecast for Sydney.
Canberra is also expected to have its wettest day on Thursday, with up to 25mm of rain, while the heaviest rain in Brisbane is forecast for Friday, with up to 20mm.
On Friday, rain will move into north-east New South Wales and eastern Queensland, with models indicating a low pressure system could boost totals by 100-200mm.
Australia’s south-east coast is bracing for torrential rain as two weather systems bring heavy rain and gusty winds.
“At this stage there is enough consensus across the models to suggest that the heaviest rainfall, strongest winds and largest waves are likely to occur along the mid north coast and possibly parts of the Hunter or Northern Rivers districts,” Weatherzone meteorologist Ben Domensino said.
‘While there is notable disagreement as to the location of the heaviest rainfall, models predict localized rainfall totals of over 20 mm from this system.
‘This rain would be enough to cause flash flooding.’
Dramatic temperature fluctuations can also be expected this week as the mercury turns from spring-like warmth to winter-like weather due to the cold front sweeping in from the north.
Perth is set to record a high of 30C on Thursday, before dropping more than 10C to a cool 19C on Friday.
Melbourne and Canberra hit 25C on Tuesday, the warmest day since autumn, before dropping to 15C and 20C respectively on Wednesday.
Temperatures in Sydney are forecast to hit 31C on Wednesday, 11C above the month’s average, before falling to a cool 18C on Thursday.
Wednesday’s spring-like heat wave, coupled with gusty winds, has increased fire danger in parts of New South Wales, including the Greater Sydney, Illawarra and Shoalhaven regions.
Meteorologist Johnathan How said a cold front approaching Victoria and Tasmania would “couple” with tropical moisture to bring heavy rain to the southeast of the county from Wednesday.
The heaviest rainfall is expected to hit Sydney on Thursday, with up to 40mm of rain.
Sydney
Wednesday: Partly cloudy. Medium chance of showers. Chance of thunderstorms. Winds up to 30 km/h. High of 30 °C.
Thursday: Rain. Windy. Up to 40 mm of rain. Winds up to 40 km/h. Large and powerful waves are expected in the evening. Min. 13 °C Max. 18 °C.
Friday: Rain. Up to 25 mm of precipitation. Winds up to 30 km/h. Minimum 13 °C Maximum 19 °C.
Melbourne
Wednesday: Rain. Up to 15 mm of precipitation. Winds up to 25 km/h. Maximum 15 °C.
Thursday: Cloudy. Possibility of morning showers. Winds up to 35 km/h. Minimum 9 °C Maximum 14 °C.
Friday: Sunny. Some morning frost. Light winds. Min. 6 °C. Max. 17 °C.
The flooding, which affected almost the entire country, was caused by a band of spring clouds from the northwest that brought rain to northern parts of Western Australia and central Australia before moving eastwards.
Brisbane
Wednesday: Mostly sunny. Possibility of smoke haze inland. Winds up to 25 km/h. High of 27 °C.
Thursday: Partly cloudy. Medium chance of showers at night. Winds up to 25 km/h. Minimum 16 °C Maximum 29 °C.
Friday: Rain. Up to 20 mm of rain. Winds up to 20 km/h. Minimum 17 °C Maximum 22 °C.
Canberra
Wednesday: Rain. Up to 15 mm of precipitation. Winds up to 30 km/h. Maximum 20 °C.
Thursday: Rain. Up to 25 mm of precipitation. Winds up to 25 km/h. Minimum 3 °C Maximum 12 °C.
Friday: Partly cloudy. Chance of light rain. Winds up to 30 km/h. Minimum 2 °C Maximum 15 °C.
Hobart
Wednesday: Partly cloudy. Medium chance of showers, more likely at night with possible small hail. Winds up to 30 km/h. High of 14 °C.
Thursday: Cloudy. Chance of light rain. Possible small hail in the morning. Winds up to 30 km/h. Minimum 4 °C Maximum 13 °C.
Friday: Partly cloudy. Winds up to 20 km/h. Minimum 4 °C Maximum 17 °C.
Dramatic temperature fluctuations can also be expected this week as the mercury swings from spring-like warmth to winter weather due to the cold front sweeping in from the north.
Perth
Wednesday: Sunny. Winds up to 30 km/h. Maximum of 24 °C.
Thursday: Sunny. Chance of light rain. Chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening. Winds up to 40 km/h. Min. 15 °C Max. 30 °C.
Friday: Rain. Up to 15 mm of rain. Winds up to 35 km/h. Minimum 13 °C Maximum 19 °C.
Adelaide
Wednesday: Cloudy. Medium chance of rain. Winds up to 35 km/h. Maximum of 18 °C.
Thursday: Sunny. Chance of light showers early in the morning. Winds up to 30 km/h. Minimum 7 °C Maximum 18 °C.
Friday: Sunny. Winds up to 20 km/h. Maximum 21 °C.
Darwin
Wednesday:Mostly sunny. Winds up to 20 km/h. High of 34 °C.
Thursday: Partly cloudy. Medium chance of showers. Chance of thunderstorms inland. Winds up to 20 km/h. Min. 25 °C Max. 33 °C.
Friday: Partly cloudy. Medium chance of showers. Chance of thunderstorms. Winds up to 20 km/h. Low 25 °C High 33 °C.