A weekend of heavy and persistent rain is ahead for New South Wales as a slow band of wet weather moves across the state’s interior.
Rain has persisted for much of the week but is expected to increase on Friday ahead of a dismal weekend, the Bureau of Meteorology has warned.
“Rain is still over inland and northern New South Wales… although that will change this weekend,” bureau meteorologist Angus Hines said.
“Until Saturday we will see this wide area of rain and possible storms move further east.”
Clouds began forming in the “border corner” of New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia on Thursday and are expected to move towards the coast on Friday, Hines said.
More than 100mm of rain will fall on Sydney between Friday and Sunday (pictured, rain forecast for the east coast next Monday)
Weatherzone said the highest daily totals are expected in central and northeastern New South Wales and southern Queensland on Saturday (pictured, rain forecast for this weekend).
Showers have already fallen on the coast throughout the week.
Rain is expected to intensify in coastal areas from north of Wollongong to the mid-north coast at Port Macquarie, with Sydney and Newcastle also expected to become drenched.
“All of these places are prepared for a very wet weekend,” Mr Hines said.
Coastal districts could receive up to 150mm of rain, enough to cause flooding, he said.
The bureau also warns that strong surf conditions could create dangerous conditions for anglers and swimmers over the weekend, particularly on south-facing beaches.
The continued wet weather is due to above-average rainfall: Sydney received almost 30mm more in April, boosted by the 111mm that fell on April 5 at the city’s Observatory Hill station.
Parts of New South Wales and southern Queensland are expected to flood during this period due to wet days leading up to the deluge.
Significant rainfall totals have already been recorded across New South Wales.
Australia’s east coast is bracing for weekend flooding and Sydney (pictured on Wednesday) will be hit with more than a month’s worth of rain in just 48 hours.
Nord’s Wharf Oval in New South Wales’ Hunter Valley recorded 93mm of rain in the 24 hours to 9am on Wednesday.
Cooranbong, a town on New South Wales’ Lake Macquarie, recorded its wettest day in 13 years with a fall of 52.4mm over the same period.
As for the weather across Australia, Perth will receive morning rain on Friday, while Melbourne will remain cold and cloudy for most of the week.
Canberra will drop to 2C on Friday with a high of 18C on Sunday, while Adelaide can expect blue skies with highs of 20C.
Brisbane will be plagued by sporadic rain throughout the weekend with highs of 24C, Hobart will remain cold and cloudy and Darwin will be mostly sunny with highs of 35C.