NSW, Queensland warned of hail, gusts of 125km an hour from storms forecast on Saturday
Millions of Australians are being warned of a dangerous and severe storm on Saturday, bringing large hailstones, destructive winds and the possibility of flash flooding.
The Bureau of Meteorology said storms would move across eastern and northern NSW due to a cold front moving through the state.
Storms are expected to reach large parts of NSW; Residents in Sydney, the Hunter Valley and Wollongong are also expected to be affected.
BOM meteorologist Christie Johnson said NSW would be warm and cloudy before the cold front sweeps through the state.
“Heavy thunderstorms are possible across large parts of NSW today. This means storms pose a risk for much of the east coast,” Ms Johnson said.
“The greatest risk of storms in the Sydney metropolitan area will be from late morning to late afternoon, with the risk easing later in the evening.”
Ms Johnson warned that the most severe weather conditions were likely to reach the Hunter Region, Mid North Coast and Northern Highlands, with winds reaching 125km/h.
“Any storms we see in NSW can bring hail and high winds, but severe storms can bring damaging winds, hail greater than 2 centimeters and localized heavy rainfall leading to flash flooding,” he said.
“This can damage cars, property, vegetation and be powerful enough to knock down trees, tree limbs or power lines, potentially leading to power outages or long traffic delays.”
Ms Johnson said the severe weather would clear later on Saturday and into the early hours of Sunday, making for a cooler day across NSW.
Queensland will also see showers and thunderstorms spreading over a wide area from the northeast to the Channel Country and Southern Interior.
“Moderate rainfall totals with storms possible across the interior south-east and far north-west,” Ms Johnson said.
“Severe storms are possible across the Southern Darling Downs and parts of the Granite Belt and Scenic Rim, with isolated damaging winds and large hail also possible.”
Brisbane and the Gold Coast are not expected to be affected by damaging storms.
These storms are also likely to reach Victoria but will likely not be “severe”.
Showers and storms are expected in Sydney in the late morning and early afternoon. Temperatures will reach a maximum of 32 degrees.
Melbourne will be spared most of the harsh weather, although 15-30mm of rain could fall. It will also be much colder in the southern states, with temperatures expected to reach just 13C.
The nation’s capital is also expecting similar weather with up to 15mm of rain in Canberra, with showers and wind forecast. It will reach a maximum of 26C.
It will be cloudy in Hobart, but no rain is currently expected and the maximum temperature is expected to be 15C.
It is also expected to be a nicer day in Adelaide with cloud cover and maximum temperatures of 18C.
Perth will have a sunny day with temperatures ranging between 13-28C.
After showers in the morning, weather in Darwin is expected to be mostly sunny before reaching 34C.
