Heavy rain and thunderstorms are battering large parts of Australia after the second driest May on record, and the wet weather will not ease until Friday.
A powerful cold front is currently making its way through Western Australia, bringing the threat of torrential downpours and damaging winds to the east of the country in the coming days.
With the East Coast already experiencing a wet and gloomy Tuesday, as much as 40mm of rain is expected to reach the area over the next 48 hours.
The system will bring cold air to South Australia by the end of Wednesday, while cooler temperatures will hit Victoria, Tasmania and NSW later in the week.
A powerful cold front making its way through Western Australia will bring heavy rain, thunderstorms and possible flooding across much of Victoria and New South Wales
About 20-40 mm of rain is expected in the east of the country on Wednesday and Thursday
The drop in temperatures will be accompanied by clouds, rain, storms and high winds making it feel even colder – with temperatures in Adelaide feeling 3 degrees cooler than forecasted temperatures on Thursday.
Perth took the first brunt of the severe weather system, experiencing record-breaking rainfall from Sunday night to Monday morning with a total of 71.2mm from the sky.
It was the wettest day of any month in nearly five and a half years for Western Australia’s capital and the wettest June day in 37 years.
With the storms also came flash flooding and lightning, with more than 450 lightning strikes within 30 miles of Perth and nearly 17,000 around southwest WA.
Perth will continue to see wet conditions this week with 10-25mm of rain forecast on Tuesday.
It may have been welcomed after Western Australia experienced its driest May on record.
For the country as a whole, it was the second driest May on record with just 7.9mm of precipitation – the second lowest in 124 years of records.
The cold front will push a band of rain into parts of northern Victoria and southern New South Wales tomorrow through Thursday, where flooding is likely.
Weatherzone Meteorologist James Rout warned Daily Mail Australia that ‘thunderstorms will be severe in that system’.
“We could see damaging winds, heavy rains and maybe even big hail,” he said.
Perth took the first brunt of the severe weather system, experiencing record-breaking rainfall from Sunday night to Monday morning with a total of 71.2mm pouring from the sky (stock image)
A strong cold front is currently moving through Western Australia where it brought heavy rain yesterday and today.
“From tomorrow it will bring rain and thunder to eastern South Australia, western Victoria and western New South Wales.”
The rain bomb from the west will push a band of wet weather into Victoria and NSW on Thursday.
Mr Rout said inland NSW could be lashed by twice the amount of rain normally expected for the month of June.
“In the NSW, the system coming through Wednesday and Thursday could bring 20 to 40mm of rain, with more rainfall in smaller areas caused by thunderstorms,” Rout said.
‘Mean rainfall for June for inland NSW is 10 to 25mm. There will be at least a month of rain and possibly twice as much.’
But things should calm down after the flood.
“There shouldn’t be another system for the next ten days,” Mr. Rout explained.
‘High pressure settles things in the short term. There is another front that will cut the south, but it won’t bring too much heavy rain.
Despite the cold weather systems, Mr Rout said temperatures will remain well above the June average as moist air from the Coral Sea floods the country.
Five-day forecast across Australia
PERTH
Tuesday: Min 7C Max 14C. Cloudy. Very high chance of showers, 10-25 mm. Chance of thunderstorms in the morning and afternoon. Strong winds and possible small hail.
Wednesday: Min 7C Max 16C. Showers that reduce 0-3 mm of rain. Cloudy. Chance of showers, likely in the morning. Wind from the southwest of 15 to 20 km/h, weak in the morning.
Thursday: Minimum 8C Maximum 19C. Partly cloudy. Medium chance of showers. Light breeze.
Friday: Minimum 8C Maximum 19C. Partly cloudy. Moderate chance of showers in the southwest, a small chance elsewhere. Light breeze.
Saturday: Minimum 8C Maximum 18C. Partly cloudy. Moderate chance of showers, likely during the morning. Light breeze.
CANBERRA
Tuesday: Min 6C Max 15C. Cloudy. Chance of showers, less likely later this afternoon and evening. Light breeze.
Wednesday: Minimum 6C Maximum 18C. Cloudy. Small chance of a shower. Light breeze.
Thursday: Min 7C Max 15C. Cloudy. Very high chance of rain. Light winds in the morning of 15 to 20 km/h to the north and during the day to the northwest of 15 to 25 km/h.
Friday: Minimum 4C Maximum 13C. Cloudy. Medium chance of showers. Wind west to northwest 15 to 25 km/h, becoming weak in the evening.
Saturday: Min 1C Max 14C. Morning frost. Partly cloudy. Light breeze.
DARWIN
Tuesday: Minimum 21C Maximum 32C. Sunny. Wind west to northwest 15 to 20 km/h.
Wednesday: Minimum 21C Maximum 32C. Mainly sunny. Winds will be northwest to northeast 15 to 20 km/h.
Thursday: Minimum 22C Maximum 33C. Mainly sunny. The wind will be easterly 15 to 20 km / h during the day.
Friday: Minimum 22C Maximum 33C. Sunny. Light breeze.
Saturday: Minimum 19C Maximum 31C. Sunny. Light winds that will shift to an easterly direction at 15 to 20 km/h during the morning.
BRISBANE
Tuesday: Minimum 14C Maximum 23C. Partly cloudy. Small chance of a shower. Light winds, becoming southeasterly, 15 to 20 km/h in the middle of the day, then light in the late afternoon.
Wednesday: Minimum 13C Maximum 23C. Partly cloudy. Small chance of a shower. Winds will be east to southeast 15 to 20 km/h.
Thursday: Minimum 12C Maximum 23C. Partly cloudy. Small chance of a shower. Light breeze.
Friday: Min 13C Max 25C. Sunny. Light breeze.
Saturday: Min 10C Max 23C. Sunny. Weak wind coming from the southeast during the day at 15 to 20 km/h.
SYDNEY
Tuesday: Minimum 11C Maximum 20C. Partly cloudy. Light breeze.
Wednesday: Minimum 11C Maximum 21C. Partly cloudy. Light winds, becoming northeasterly, 15 to 20 km/h in the early afternoon.
Thursday: Minimum 12C Maximum 22C. Showers are increasing. Partly cloudy. Chance of showers in the afternoon and evening.
Friday: Minimum 11C Maximum 21C. Sunny. Light breeze.
Saturday: Minimum 10C Maximum 20C. Possible showers. Partly cloudy, chance of showers and light wind.
HOBART
Tuesday: Min 7C Max 17C.Partly cloudy. Wind from the north direction 15 to 25 km/h.
Wednesday: Minimum 8C Maximum 18C. late shower or two. Mostly sunny day. Moderate chance of showers, most likely in the evening.
Thursday: Minimum 11C Maximum 18C. Very high chance of showers early in the day. Cloudy. . Wind from the north 15 to 25 km/h, then weak in the afternoon.
Friday: Minimum 8C Maximum 13C. Shower or two, 0-1mm of rain. Wind from the north at 15 to 25 km/h, tending to the northwest at 25 to 35 km/h.
Saturday: Minimum 5C Maximum 15C. Partly cloudy. Low chance of shower/
MELBOURNE
Tuesday: Minimum 13C Maximum 19C. Partly cloudy. Medium chance of showers around nearby hills, almost zero chance elsewhere. Wind from the northeast 25 to 35 km/h, shifting to the north 25 to 40 km/h.
Wednesday: Minimum 14C Maximum 19C. Cloudy. Very high chance of showers, likely in the afternoon and evening. Wind from the north 30 to 45 km/h.
Thursday: Minimum 14C Maximum 18C. Partly cloudy. Very high chance of rain, probably in the morning.
Friday: Min 10C Max 15C. Shower or two, 0-1mm of rain. Wind northwest 15 to 25 km/h, turning northwest.
Saturday: Min 7C Max 15C. Partly cloudy. Light breeze.
ADELAIDE
Tuesday: Minimum 12C Maximum 23C. Partly cloudy. Slight chance of showers later tonight. Chance of thunderstorms tonight. Wind north to northeast 15 to 25 km/h.
Wednesday: Minimum 15C Maximum 21C. Cloudy. Very high chance of showers, likely in the morning and afternoon. Chance of thunder.
Thursday: Minimum 11C Maximum 17C. Partly cloudy. Very high chance of showers.
Friday: Minimum 11C Maximum 16C. Partly cloudy. Chance of showers, likely in the morning. Wind from the west at 20 to 30 km/h, weak during the afternoon.
Saturday: Minimum 10C Maximum 19C. Partly cloudy. Small chance of a shower. Wind from the northeast 15 to 20 km/h, becoming 15 to 25 km/h to the north in the morning.
Source: Bureau of Meteorology
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