New weather system to strike eastern Australia with strong winds and rain

Storms, winds and rain on Thursday are expected to be less severe than Wednesday’s but people are urged to monitor BoM weather forecasts and to steer clear of danger. Photograph: William West/AFP/Getty Images

Persistent rain and strong winds will sweep across New South Wales into the weekend, the Bureau of Meteorology predicts, with parts of Victoria and south-east Queensland also likely to be affected.

Angus Hines, a senior meteorologist at the Bureau of Meteorology, said Sydney’s weather could shift from storms to a “dreary” mix of wind, rain and cloud. It would be “persistently windy” and “quite chilly”, he said.