Christmas Day weather: Storms and rain forecast for Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra
Tens of thousands of Australians were left without power on Christmas Eve as wild weather battered the east coast – and more wet conditions are on the way.
Heavy rain on Sunday in NSW, Victoria and Queensland caused flights to be cancelled, roads to be cut by flash flooding and hundreds of calls for help to be made.
Shocking footage showed cars stuck in floodwaters in Sydney's east, while hail the size of golf balls fell in far northern NSW and Queensland.
Meteorologists have warned that the miserable weather will continue until Christmas and Boxing Day, with showers and thunderstorms on the horizon for the east coast.
Sydney has a high chance of showers on Monday, with between 2mm and 20mm of rain forecast.
One vehicle stranded on Anzac Parade in Kensington had to be rescued by SES on Sunday (pictured)
On Christmas Day, the port city reaches a top temperature of 27 degrees.
Melbourne residents are also in for a drizzly Christmas, with a 100 percent chance of rain.
Between 9mm and 40mm are expected to fall on the Victorian capital as families open their presents. A maximum temperature of 23 degrees is expected.
Canberra isn't out of the line of fire either, with a massive downpour expected to hit on Monday, bringing as much as 50mm of rain.
Brisbane will also experience wet and stormy conditions on Monday and Boxing Day.
Flights to and from Sydney Airport were hit by the thunderstorm on Sunday after 110mm fell in about an hour, causing flash flooding at the domestic terminal (pictured)
Queenslanders will enjoy warm weather, with the capital set to reach 33 degrees Celsius by Christmas.
Angus Hines from the Bureau of Meteorology said the wet weather will continue for days, including the threat of heavier thunderstorms.
“There is potential in the atmosphere right now to produce these big storms,” he said.
'There is a chance of thunderstorms or possibly even severe storms for Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne. All these capitals see a risk of thunderstorms on Christmas Day,” he said.
NSW SES Acting Deputy Commissioner Allison Flaxman said flood crews were positioned and prepared for the coming days.
“It is critical that people assess the conditions not only of their route but also of their destination before traveling and avoid camping in low-lying areas,” she said.
Flash flooding was reported in parts of Sydney. Photo: Twitter / Volcaholic
'If you encounter flooded roads, turn around and find an alternative route. Never drive through floodwaters.”
The BOM issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the Riverina region of NSW, in the state's south-west, early on Monday morning.
Areas affected include Deniliquin, Griffith, Hay, Narrandera, Hillston and Darlington Point.
“Intense thunderstorms are likely to produce heavy rainfall that could lead to flash flooding in the warning area in the coming hours,” the agency said.
Heavy rain and severe thunderstorms have also been warned for central north Victoria over Christmas.
The photo shows hail that fell in Burpengary, Queensland's Moreton Bay, on Sunday
Bendigo, Shepparton, Seymour, Maryborough, Kyneton and Wangaratta are all in the firing line and flash flooding is possible.
There are several active flood warnings around Queensland, including on the Burnett River, in central Queensland, the Parro River in the west and the Lower Barcoo River.
In the Sunshine State, more than 58,000 Energex customers were without power on Christmas Eve due to wild weather.
More than 1,200 homes are still affected by the power outage as of 7 a.m. Monday.
More than 17,000 people were without power in Victoria on Sunday.
Sunday brought the worst of the weather, with roads in Sydney's east completely flooded.
Sydney International Airport's tarmac was flooded with water as buses moved between terminals, with water also leaking into the baggage claim area.
The airport received 64 mm of rain in just an hour and a half. Little Bay in the east of the city was hit with 56mm in just one hour.
As many as 10 flights were reportedly canceled on Christmas Eve, while another 12 domestic flights were scuttled on Monday, according to the airport's website.
NSW SES responded to more than 200 incidents in just three hours on Sunday, including 21 flood rescues, with a total of 492 calls for help on Sunday.
“We're not out of the woods yet, moderate to locally high rainfall totals are possible for the south coast on Christmas Day (Monday),” NSW SES said.
“Severe storms bring the potential for localized heavy rainfall, potentially leading to flash flooding, large hail and damaging winds.”