A weekend of persistent, heavy rain is underway for NSW as a slow-moving band of wet weather moves through the state’s interior.
Showers will continue for most of the week but are expected to increase on Friday ahead of a gloomy weekend, the Bureau of Meteorology has warned.
“Rain is still falling inland and northern NSW… that will change this weekend though,” bureau meteorologist Angus Hines said.
“Through Saturday we will see this broad area of rain and possible storms moving further east.”
Clouds began forming in the “border corner” of NSW, Queensland and South Australia on Thursday and are expected to move towards the coast on Friday, Mr Hines said.
More than 100mm of rain will fall on Sydney between Friday and Sunday (photo, rain forecast for the east coast next Monday)
Weatherzone said the largest daily totals are expected in central and north-eastern NSW and southern Queensland on Saturday (pictured, rainfall forecast this weekend)
There have been showers on the coast all week.
Rain is expected to increase in coastal areas from Wollongong in the north to the north coast at Port Macquarie, with Sydney and Newcastle also expected to be drenched.
“All these places are lining up for a very wet weekend,” Mr Hines said.
Coastal areas could receive as much as 150mm of rain, enough to cause flooding, he said.
The agency also warns that strong surf conditions over the weekend could create dangerous conditions for rock fishermen and swimmers, especially on south-facing beaches.
The continued wet weather is the result of above-average rainfall, with Sydney receiving almost 30mm more rain in April, boosted by a fall of 111mm on April 5 at the city’s Observatory Hill station.
Parts of NSW and southern Queensland are expected to flood during this period due to the wet days that preceded the deluge.
Significant rainfall totals have already been recorded in NSW.
Australia’s east coast is bracing for a weekend outbreak, with Sydney (pictured Wednesday) set to be lashed by more than a month’s worth of rain in just 48 hours
Nord’s Wharf Oval in NSW’s Hunter Valley recorded 93mm of rain in the 24 hours leading up to 9am on Wednesday.
Cooranbong, a town in Lake Macquarie in NSW, recorded its wettest day in 13 years with a fall of 52.4mm in the same period.
Weather conditions across Australia will see Perth see morning showers on Friday, while Melbourne will remain cold and cloudy for most of the week.
Canberra will drop to 2 degrees on Friday with a high of 18 degrees on Sunday, while Adelaide can expect blue skies with highs of 20 degrees.
Brisbane will be plagued by sporadic showers throughout the weekend with highs of 24ºC, Hobart will remain cold and cloudy and Darwin will be mostly sunny with highs of 35ºC.