Weather: heavy rain in eastern Australia with storms in NSW, QLD and Victoria ahead of Bathurst 1000
>
Residents living in flood risk areas on Australia’s east coast have been warned to prepare for the worst with three more massive showers on the way.
By the end of next week, New South Wales and Victoria will be drenched in another intense low-pressure weather system.
Thursday was the first of the wet weather systems and saw Sydney break the record for the highest ever recorded annual rainfall with more than 2,200mm falling since January.
The second of four storms began moving east across NSW and Victoria on Friday morning, bringing heavy rain to the west of both states and the east coast of Victoria.
“Friday should be the biggest day of the week with widespread rain, severe thunderstorms and flooding, all predicted,” Weatherzone meteorologist Joel Pippard said.
Australia’s east coast will be ravaged by three more heavy rain systems over the next week (photo, three-day rainfall forecast)
NSW Transport warned Sydney trains could be delayed on Friday due to ongoing wet conditions and flooding at Central Station (photo, Sydney commuters in the rain)
“There should be severe thunderstorms in the afternoon, with heavy rainfall, large hail and damaging winds all on the map through western Qld, NSW and VIC.
“Widespread falls of 10-30mm are expected, but there will also be quite a few heavier spots of 60-100mm with storms.”
Storms are expected to build over Melbourne from midday, while Canberra and Sydney are expected to be hit in the early afternoon.
A large area encompassing NSW, Victoria and southwestern Queensland has been warned it could experience tornado-like conditions, including hail and dangerous winds.
SES spokesman Jason Simms said teams are ready to help if conditions deteriorate.
“The SES has deployed preventive personnel to various parts of the state in the potentially affected area,” he told Nine News.
After Thursday’s storm, a second heavy rain system began to move over NSW (above) and Victoria on Friday morning
Sydney on Thursday registered its highest annual rainfall ever, with more than 2,200mm falling since January 1.
NSW Transport warned that Sydney trains could be delayed due to ongoing wet conditions and flooding at Central Station.
A rain band will form Friday evening from southwest Queensland to eastern Victoria before heading out to sea.
However, the tip of that front is expected to remain over southwestern Queensland and central NSW, forming the third of four rainfall events.
The system will redevelop until Saturday morning to form a heavy rain belt over most of western and southeastern Queensland, as well as central NSW and the state’s coastline.
That system will be in motion overnight, forcing the worst of the rain to the shores of both states Sunday morning.
Large parts of the Bathurst 1000 parking lot were closed Thursday (above) due to thick mud and more rain over the weekend
Most of the rain is expected to clear from Sydney by mid-afternoon on Sunday, while the central and south coast of Queensland continue to see light rain.
The heaviest rain seems to fall between Newcastle and the south coast with 30-70mm expected (on Sunday). Fortunately, this low will not linger too long as it will continue to move out to sea during the day,” said Mr Pippard.
The two rain systems to hit this weekend are expected to bring precipitation totals between 50-100mm across most of central NSW.
A fourth system will hit South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania and NSW next Wednesday, bringing heavy rain.
Supercars fans attending the Bathurst 1000 this weekend should bring a raincoat so the region can handle about 100mm of heavy rain over the next three days.
Organizers were forced to close priority parking areas on Thursday as thick mud made the field unsafe to drive into.
Sydneysiders can expect heavy rain and storms from Friday afternoon (photo, pedestrians in Sydney)
While Friday morning remained mostly clear for the central western city, Panorama mountain will be hit with rain in the early afternoon, with the storm’s center of gravity at about 3 p.m.
The system is expected to decline to a light drizzle overnight into early Saturday morning before a separate system moves through.
Moderate to heavy rain is expected over the course from early afternoon and worsens during the night.
Fortunately, better conditions are expected on race day on Sunday with only light rain and showers.
The ongoing rain in several already soggy areas has resulted in a high risk of flooding in NSW.
The SES said it has stationed rescue teams in communities of concern in the event of an emergency.
Mr Pippard said residents on Australia’s east coast can expect temperatures to drop as rain sets in.
Rain will ease in Eastern Australia on Monday before another system brings more rain late next week (pictured, a pedestrian in Sydney)
“The next system to move eastwards is a cold front that will once again tap into the tropical moisture over northern Australia,” he said.
“In general, widespread falls of 20-50mm with isolated pockets in excess of 100mm are expected over the next four days over southern Queensland, NSW, Victoria and northern Tasmania.”
South Australia is expected to see light rain over the weekend with three-day rainfall totaling 10mm expected to fall in Adelaide before Monday.
Darwin is forecast for possible storms through the middle of next week with up to 30mm of rain forecast for the next three days.
Hobart will catch the end of rain in NSW and Victoria on Friday and Saturday before clearing partly to cloudy weather on Sunday.
Residents of Perth can expect the best weather of any capital city on Saturday with a sunny day forecast and a maximum temperature of 23C.