Persistent rain, strong winds, and severe storms will sweep across New South Wales (NSW) into the weekend, with parts of Victoria and southeast Queensland also bracing for wild weather, the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) predicts.
Sydney will experience a “dreary” mix of wind, rain, and cloud, according to Angus Hines, a senior meteorologist at the BoM. “It will be persistently windy and quite chilly,” he said.
A low-pressure system in the Tasman Sea is expected to drive damaging winds, heavy rainfall, and possibly large hail across eastern NSW, with the northern rivers region at the highest risk for severe thunderstorms. The Hunter and mid-north coast are also likely to see intense weather.
Western Australia faces a separate threat, with the highest risk of a tropical cyclone this season. “The most likely impact would be some heavy rainfall around the Pilbara and northern WA, with strong winds near the coast,” Hines said.
Wednesday’s storms brought wind gusts of up to 120km/h in Williamtown, drenched Eurobodalla with 127mm of rain, and caused widespread damage and power outages. More than 143,000 NSW properties lost power, with crews restoring 50,000 connections overnight.
The State Emergency Service responded to 1,800 incidents, including a fatality in Cowra after a tree fell on a vehicle.