A WILD weather alert has been issued for the Hunter and swathes of NSW with up to 30mm of rain expected along with strong, gusty southerly winds on Thursday.
Helen Reid, senior meteorologist at the Bureau of Meteorology said the southerly change would bring much lower "feels like" temperatures and comes with a gale-force wind warning.
While spring was the season for weather to be "springing around", the amount of rainfall forecast, while not unheard of, was not common, she said.
"We haven't seen it like that for about 10-15 years, according to the records, so it is a bit unusual to have that amount of rain coming through," Ms Reid said.
Cold front on its way
It is being driven by an upper level cloud band bringing moisture from the tropics, coupled with a cold front from the south west dropping temperatures to the high teens (17-19 degrees) as well as producing large, powerful southeast swells.
Most of the rain is expected to have cleared by the weekend, with temperatures creeping back up into the mid-20s on Sunday and trending warmer for the start of the school holidays.
The Bureau has predicted above average rainfall for much of October through to December across large parts of eastern Australia.
The NRMA has warned home-owners to be prepared in the wake of new data revealing that claims due to wild weather in the Newcastle and Hunter regions were 88 per cent higher this winter than in 2023.
During its wettest day this year, April 6, when 103.6mm of rain fell, the roof of a Newcastle home had to cope with 20,720 litres of water in 24 hours.
Lake Macquarie had to deal with 38 tonnes of rain, or 38,000 litres of water over winter, which is the equivalent of an 24-square-metre backyard swimming pool.
Muswellbrook was the most impacted town in terms of claims for damage due to wild weather this winter. A rain gauge at Scone airport measured 41,680 litres of rain, while Cessnock copped 31,760 litres of rain.
Severe weather accounted for 81 per cent of claims statewide, with 2,867 severe weather home claims making up 42.7 per cent of all home claims.
Get to your gutters
NRMA consumer research (of 3500 Australians) found that 39 per cent have experienced water leaks from wild weather, but only two-in-five have checked the condition of their roof in the past year.
More than one-in-10 (11 per cent) have never checked their roof, and 19 per cent have never cleaned their gutters.
More than three-quarters (77 per cent) believe that climate change is making severe storms, floods, and bushfires more frequent and severe.
NRMA Insurance claims executive general manager Luke Gallagher said while Aussies understand the importance of having their car serviced regularly, "we do not place the same priority on maintaining the condition of the roof over our heads".
"Water is a powerful force and once it enters your home it can cause tremendous damage," Mr Gallagher said.
"Rain is most likely to enter and damage the walls and ceilings of buildings through cracks in the roof and overflowing gutters.
"Regularly clearing debris from gutters and proactively inspecting and maintaining the condition of your roof are key to minimising wet weather leaks."
