>
Urgent warning to stay away from windows and hang up phones NOW as Australia Day ‘nasty’ storm ‘triple cell’ batters Sydney after 33 degree day, with heavy hail forecast
- Storm will hit Sydney around 3:30 pm
- Three ‘severe’ storm cells on the move
- SES warned residents to move their cars
A forecast “nasty” storm is approaching from western Sydney and is expected to hit the city around 3:30pm.
The Met Office issued a detailed thunderstorm warning for three ‘severe’ storm cells on Thursday afternoon, moving east from the Blue Mountains towards Hawkesbury, Parramatta, Erskine Park and Liverpool.
They were accompanied by a warning from the State Emergency Service for residents to move their car under cover, unplug computers and appliances, avoid using the phone and stay away from windows.
The Bureau of Meteorology issued this severe storm warning Thursday afternoon.
Showers and possible thunderstorms could spoil the second half of the Australia Day celebrations as storms move up the East Coast (Australia Day celebrations pictured)
The BOM had forecast Australia Day barbecues to be disrupted by mid-afternoon storms as a low pressure system moves up the east coast from Bass Strait, with rain expected in the Illawarra area around 4 pm
Inland Queensland was expected to experience scattered showers as another low pressure system makes its way through Broken Hill in New South Wales and into the sunshine state.
More supercells are expected to form in northern New South Wales and southern Queensland on Friday afternoon, bringing heavy rain to areas including Port Macquarie, the Gold Coast and inland Queensland.
Wet weather is expected to persist through the weekend as chances of thunderstorms persist along the East Coast.
Heavy rain and thunderstorms are expected over NSW and Queensland this weekend, with Queensland could see heavier rain next week (pedestrians in Brisbane pictured)
The BOM has acknowledged a “risk of isolated severe thunderstorms over the interior of the southeast [Queensland]’.
Severe weather conditions are expected to increase on Sunday into Monday as most of the Northern Territory, Queensland and northern New South Wales will experience heavy rain and possible thunderstorms.
Queensland can expect heavier rain late next week as more low pressure systems dump rain across the state.
Sydney recently experienced heavy rain and thunderstorms on Tuesday night (pictured) as Camden Airport recorded over 20,000 lightning strikes and 20mm of rain in 10 minutes
Greater Sydney experienced heavy rain and thunderstorms from Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, with thousands of lightning strikes across areas of Sydney as heavy rain caused flash flooding.
Camden Airport, on the southwestern tip of Sydney, experienced more than 20,000 lightning strikes within a radius of just 20 kilometers and recorded 20 millimeters of rain in just 10 minutes.