Big wet to follow swelter, says weatherman
After the scorching days and sweltering nights currently affecting eastern Australia, storms strong enough to topple trees and trigger outages and flash floods are expected.
As Brisbane and south-east Queensland recover from the worst heat in the state, the next few days are likely to top 30 degrees, with a chance of storms on Tuesday.
The national heatwave, which has caused temperatures above 40 degrees across large parts of Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and NSW, will continue until Monday, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
While Australia’s southeast coast experienced some relief on Saturday, inland Queensland and NSW were hot; Walgett in northern NSW was expected to reach 42 degrees and some centers further north were likely to reach 41 degrees.
The bureau is forecasting rain in parts of Queensland on Saturday.
A BOM post on
“The east and southeast are warming, but the west is milder under cloud cover.”
But senior meteorologist Angus Hines said near-record overnight temperatures on Australia’s east coast were likely to be just as uncomfortable.
He said Sydney’s overnight low temperature by Monday would be around 24 degrees, while Newcastle would be around 25 degrees and Brisbane could drop to 23 degrees.
“But when we finally get to that temperature it will be around 6 a.m.,” he warned.
“Imagine trying to sleep around 10 or 11 o’clock at night. The temperature will probably be around 28 or 29 degrees.”
But it’s not just the heat that makes things unpleasant.
“We have the potential for significant stormy weather for several days,” Hines said.
Disorganized storm activity was expected in southern Queensland, northern Victoria, inland NSW and the ACT on Saturday.
And then events would probably be less random and more frightening.
A cold front approaching from the Great Australian Bight is expected to bring uninterrupted rain to Victoria, NSW and Tasmania.
With this will come the risk of severe thunderstorms and the possibility of extreme conditions mostly west of Canberra.
“This could cause strong winds that could blow down trees and cause power outages,” Hines warned.
“It can bring large hail that can damage cars, homes and windows and potentially damage crops.
“Heavy rains may come, especially on Sunday, which could cause flash flooding and there is also the potential for some rise in river levels.”
AAP
