Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth weather: When storms will strike

A Queensland woman nearly suffocated after her tent began filling with water as wild storms turned her camping holiday into a nightmare.

Madelene had been camping at Numinbah, in the Gold Coast hinterland, earlier this week when she became trapped in her tent – which had been picked up and carried 40 meters downstream by rising waters.

She luckily escaped after neighbors found her trapped against a fallen tree and used an ax to cut her out of the flooded tent.

Madelene was one of thousands of Aussies caught in the wild storms that battered the state through Christmas, leaving seven dead, hundreds of thousands without power and locals furious at the lack of response from emergency services.

“I was swept 40 meters downstream in a river in my tent, then got stuck in a fallen tree, started choking and the tent filled with water,” Madelene said.

'I had to be rescued by our camp neighbors who hacked me with an axe!

“Lost all my belongings but grateful to be alive… happy new year,” she wrote alongside images of the rising water on social media.

It comes as flood-weary residents of south-east Queensland prepare for another round of heavy rain and thunderstorms on Wednesday.

Australian Defense Force troops have been deployed across the state to assist with recovery efforts as authorities try to restore power to about 11,000 homes.

Hundreds of flood-damaged roads in Queensland also remain closed and persistent heavy rain means a higher chance of landslides and fallen debris.

Dozens of people have been rescued from flood waters since the wet and wild conditions began over Christmas and Boxing Day.

Although the Bureau of Meteorology says the worst of the wild weather has passed, heavy to intense rain is likely to fall across most of Queensland on Wednesday, with conditions expected to remain dangerous long after the rains subside.

“Our thunderstorm forecast shows how unstable areas over eastern Australia are, with thunderstorms possible almost everywhere except Tasmania,” said Bureau Meteorologist Miriam Bradbury.

A severe weather warning was lifted on Tuesday evening despite persistent rain on the Sunshine Coast. However, flood warnings remain current.

Areas such as Gympie, Caboolture, Noosa Heads and Maroochydore are expected to experience high localized falls on Wednesday.

The agency has issued a flood watch for Byron Bay, Bundaberg, Gympie, Roma, Rockhampton and Toowoomba, urging residents to take care near creeks, rivers and drains where conditions remain hazardous.

Further south, storms and flooding in northern NSW also left emergency services working overtime.

A cluster of communities received more than a month's worth of rain in the 48 hours to Tuesday evening, with some areas in the Northern Rivers region experiencing falls of more than 500mm.

In the 48 hours before 9am on Tuesday, Numinbah in the Tweed Shire received 533mm, while Bald Mountain in eastern NSW was soaked with 532mm.

The SES said local crews had carried out 28 rescues during the period.

Forecasters have warned that more falls are on the way.

“Moisture is moving south and the risk of severe storms is increasing across parts of NSW and much of Victoria,” Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Miriam Bradbury said.

The meteorologist said the heaviest falls occurred on the NSW-Queensland border, inland and southern NSW and much of Victoria.

Severe thunderstorms will move towards central Victoria on Wednesday before becoming widespread across the eastern half of the state.

The agency says there is a chance of heavy falls, large hail and damaging winds. Melbourne can expect showers and probably a thunderstorm, possibly a heavy one.

Lightning stopped flights at the city's airport Tuesday evening and nearly 50,000 homes and businesses across the state were without power.

Up to 9,000 homes were still without power on Wednesday morning, while Ballarat and Wangaratta received more than half a meter of rain in 48 hours.

The SES received more than 900 calls for help, with many who woke up on Wednesday morning still needing help from rescue crews.

Dozens of homes and businesses were damaged by the powerful storms, which dumped hail on the state and toppled trees.

Melbourne residents are being urged to pack an umbrella on Wednesday as the risk of showers and possibly a severe thunderstorm is very high.

Temperatures reach highs of 25 degrees and lows of 18 degrees.

Wild weather is expected to move up the NSW coast on Thursday, with inland areas getting some respite after heavy rain on Wednesday.

In Sydney it will remain cloudy on Wednesday with highs of 27ºC and lows of 21ºC with a small chance of showers in the far west in the afternoon or evening.

In Western Australia, a trough of low pressure and a very hot, unstable atmosphere produce severe thunderstorms inland.

Severe thunderstorms were forecast to produce damaging winds of more than 90km/h in Giles, Kiwirrkurra, Parnngurr and Warburton, west of Alice Springs.

Meanwhile, Darwin has recorded its warmest start to the year since 1935.

The temperature at Darwin Airport fell only to 29.9 degrees Celsius on Monday morning – the city's hottest January morning since 1933 and the third highest January minimum temperature on record.

Daytime highs reached highs of 35.3 degrees Celsius on Monday and 35.5 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, making these the warmest first two days of the year since 1935.

Tuesday was also Darwin's warmest January day in eight years.