Heavy rain, dangerous ‘supercell’ storms, devastating winds, flash flooding and hail threaten to put a damper on Easter holiday plans along Australia’s east coast this long weekend.
Severe thunderstorms will hit parts of Queensland, New South Wales, the ACT and Victoria on Good Friday, which is considered one of the busiest days of the year on roads and airports.
It is the result of a low pressure system moving eastwards creating a ‘volatile weather pattern’ stretching from central Queensland to Victoria.
Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra and Melbourne are all in the firing line of the wild weather.
The east coast of Australia is in the firing line of severe thunderstorms on Good Friday. The hardest hit areas are in red
“(There’s) a chance of very dangerous supercells if people go out for the long weekend,” Weather zone said.
“A top-floor trough moving across southeastern Australia on Friday will cause the atmosphere to become unstable and prepared for severe thunderstorms.”
It added that the wild weather could cause chaos for flights during one of the busiest travel times of the year.
The most widespread and intense storms are expected to hit Friday afternoon and early evening.
“The most likely areas to see supercells will be from central NSW to south east Qld, covering the densely populated areas between Sydney and Brisbane,” Weatherzone added.
The Bureau of Meteorology warned that heavy rain from the thunderstorms could trigger flash flooding in some areas.
“For NSW and Queensland there could also be major hail and wind gusts,” said meteorologist Sarah Scully.
Australia’s east coast will be battered by rain and supercell storms on Friday
Showers and thunderstorms are forecast across eastern and southern New South Wales on Friday, with a chance of severe storms along the east coast and adjacent mountain ranges, bringing damaging winds, large hail and heavy rain.
Showers are forecast in the south on Saturday, decreasing to the mountain ranges on Sunday before turning dry all day on Monday.
“Hazardous surf conditions will develop on the south and central coast on Sunday and spread to the north coast on Monday.”
The good news for Sydneysiders and Queenslanders is that the wild weather will be short lived and will clear over the weekend.
The weather outlook isn’t as promising for Melbourne, which will have its coldest Easter Sunday since 1946, with wet and windy conditions.
On Friday, a combination of showers, possible storms and clouds will bring the cool change, with daytime temperatures hovering around 20C, with the weekend set to get worse.
South to southwesterly winds will carry cold air through Melbourne, with daytime temperatures only expected to hover around 18°C on Saturday, 15°C on Sunday and 16°C on Monday.
Across Bass Strait, Hobart is also in for a wet and miserable Easter, with temperatures set to peak at 13C on Sunday.
Heavy rains, ‘supercell’ storms and destructive winds will pound the beaches before the savage weather clears
“It will be Saturday evening, heading into Easter Sunday, when we see the coldest temperatures stretching across Tasmania, Victoria and parts of NSW,” meteorologist Miriam Bradbury of the Bureau of Meteorology told Sunrise.
Maximum temperatures in those areas are generally expected to be less than 15C, so a pretty cold day.
“We’re also going to see some pretty strong winds over those areas.”
South Australia is expected to suffer from a wet, cold and windy Friday and Saturday, with occasional sunshine on Sunday and Monday.
Elsewhere, Perth can look forward to a nice and sunny long weekend, while Darwin can expect storms and temperatures in excess of 30 years.
Meteorologists have warned that the wild weather could cause chaos for travelers. Pictured: Travelers at Melbourne Airport