Australia’s east coast will see widespread rain every day over the next week as we head into summer, despite forecast warm and dry conditions thanks to the El Niño weather system.
“There’s some pretty decent rainfall over the next week, with Sydney likely to get between 50mm and 100mm over the next seven days,” Weatherzone meteorologist Angus Konta told Ny Breaking Australia.
‘Brisbane will also see rain, especially early next week, with a maximum of 30mm to 60mm over seven days, and Melbourne is also in for consistently wet weather, but with lighter rainfall of around 20mm to 40mm throughout the week ‘.
Mr Konta explained that a trough over the eastern states is meeting warm tropical air moving inland from the ocean, which will bring rain and thunderstorms.
‘The rain will mainly be concentrated in the eastern half of the country, while Perth on the west coast is experiencing a heatwave that is expected to last until the weekend.’
The wet spell follows another string of humid days across much of the east coast as the country heads into a so-called hot and dry El Niño summer.
Australia’s east coast is in for a humid week, with rain forecast every day for the next seven days (photo: accumulated rainfall by Sunday, darker areas will see more rain)
Sydneysiders should be prepared by bringing an umbrella and checking the forecast for possible storms and flooding
El Niño is characterized by reduced rainfall and warmer temperatures, which is in stark contrast to three years of the reverse La Niña weather pattern that caused flooding along the East Coast in 2020 and 2021.
“The shift in rainfall away from the western Pacific associated with El Niño means that rainfall in Australia typically decreases in winter and spring, especially in the eastern and northern parts of the continent,” the Bureau of Meteorology said .
‘Nine of the ten driest winter-spring periods on record for eastern Australia occurred during El Niño years.’
El Niño years also tend to see warmer than average temperatures across most of southern Australia, especially during the second half of the year.”
However, according to Weatherzone, a low-pressure system over South Australia is sucking in evaporated moisture that is over warm water off Australia’s eastern and northern coasts.
“The low temperatures will draw in moisture via northerly winds over the eastern part of the country,” the report said.
‘Easterly winds in the north of the country allow the trough to tap into moisture from the tropics and the very warm waters of the north-west edge of Western Australia.’
The weather service said Tuesday looks set to be the wettest day for Queensland and northern NSW, with heavier rain set to move further south over Sydney next Wednesday.
Brisbane and Melbourne (pictured) will also get rain, but not as much as Sydney
Queensland’s wet weather has certainly helped firefighters after they battled more than a thousand fires earlier this month, prompting calls for reinforcements from Victoria and New Zealand.
The federal and Queensland governments have increased wet weather assistance by announcing concessions for farmers and councils affected by bushfires in the state’s south.
Farmers in nine local government areas can apply for concessional interest loans and freight subsidies through the Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.
Assistance is also available to 13 Queensland councils for disaster response initiatives such as firefighting and recovery operations.
“Both levels of government have worked together to activate a range of emergency payments for affected residents, and I am pleased to see around $400,000 already making its way into Queensland pockets,” said Federal Emergency Management Minister Murray Watt.
The wet weather has helped extinguish many of the hundreds of bushfires burning in Queensland
‘The support for municipalities also ensures that extraordinary costs associated with the clean-up and repair of essential public assets are reimbursed.’
The state government said almost 400 large square bales of cattle feed have already been delivered to fire-affected areas, while a new road train is due to arrive on the Southern Downs on Tuesday.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries advises farmers on their recovery options.
Farmers can also access disaster relief loans of up to $250,000 and freight assistance of up to $5,000.