Dangerous thunderstorms are lashing Sydney, but summer weather is likely to grip the city over the weekend, and pretty much everywhere else in Australia in coming weeks.
On Thursday afternoon, there were severe weather warnings for Sydney and surrounding regions, including a severe thunderstorm warning.
“A severe thunderstorm warning continues for very dangerous slow-moving storms between Wollongong and Sydney,” the Bureau of Meteorology said.
“Intense rainfall and flash flooding are likely.”
Dangerous storms and intense rainfall were detected near Sutherland and Helensburgh on Thursday. Severe thunderstorms and heavy rainfall were also detected on the weather radar near Sydney Airport and Hurstville.
Tweet from @BOM_NSW
“Commuters this evening should plan their trip before leaving work and avoid driving through flood water,” the NSW SES wrote on Facebook.
“When picking up your children from school, be sure to drive to the conditions and seek advice from the school as roads may be congested.
“Over the next several hours, severe thunderstorms will likely produce intense rainfall that may lead to dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding.”
There was also a more general thunderstorm the Sydney metropolitan area, the Illawarra, central and southern tablelands, south-west and central-west slopes and plains districts.
In less than three hours early on Thursday, Sydney Airport had 62 millimetres of rain. But the heaviest early-morning rainfall was in Greenwell Point, a town on the Shoalhaven River, where 178 millimetres fell in just two hours to 6am.
Sydney, Parramatta, Wollongong, Campbelltown, Kiama and Huskisson were predicted to be hit with intense rainfall on Thursday afternoon.
Edmund Rice College in Wollongong was evacuated after flooding and Towradgi Public School contacted parents asking for children to be collected early because of the storm.
There was also a heavy rainfall warning for areas of the central and southern tablelands, including Orange, Bathurst, Yass, Blayney and Trunkey Creek.
|
Flash flooding in Illawara on Thursday
10 News First – Disclaimer |
|
Sydney heats up after thunderstorms pass
The rain, minus the thunderstorms, is likely to hang around in Sydney on Friday. But by the weekend, the city might be treated to some summer weather.
On Saturday and Sunday, the weather bureau is forecasting a top of 30 degrees in Sydney, before the rain starts returns and the maximum temperature falls to 28 degrees on Monday.
Weatherzone meteorologist Yoska Hernández said pockets of Sydney’s west could experience more severe heat over the weekend, going as high as 35-37 degrees.
“It’s not expected to be a heatwave, just a hot day, on Saturday,” she said.
Tweet from @QldFES
Heatwave along Queensland and NSW border
But an extreme heatwave was likely in parts of south-east Queensland and north-east NSW.
The heatwave conditions will likely start over the weekend and continue into next week.
It’ll be another hot weekend in Brisbane, with a peak of about 35 degrees likely on Sunday.
“It is also going to be pretty humid, not just on Sunday, but on Monday and Tuesday too,” Ms Hernández said.
“[The humidity] could make the temperature feel about four to five degrees warmer than actual temperature.”
While south-east Queensland and north-east NSW will be the “main concern”, most of Queensland is going to be subject to a widespread heatwave.
Hot weather coming for the south
From Wednesday, February 15, until next Friday, a “pretty intense” heatwave would move across South Australia, Ms Hernández said.
While it will likely be the most intense over South Australia, the heat will also impact Melbourne.
“Within that period, from the Wednesday to Friday the 17th, [the heat will] possibly peak on Friday and it could reach the low 40s in Adelaide and in Melbourne, possibly the low 40s,” Ms Hernández said.
The heat might also extend to Sydney, but it won’t be extreme.
On Saturday, after a few days of warm weather, the top temperature should be about 30 degrees in Melbourne, before dropping to just 20 on Sunday.
Adelaide will have some milder weather over the weekend, with temperatures in the mid-20s. From Monday to Wednesday, the BOM expects the heat to slowly creep up.
Western Australia already suffering
Most of Western Australia is already in a heatwave and conditions likely won’t ease anytime soon.
The Kimberley, Pilbara, Gascoyne, Goldfields, north and south interior districts of WA have already endured days of heat, with maximum temperatures in the mid-40s.
The bureau’s heatwave warning for the west remains until at least Saturday.
Ms Hernández said the instense heat would likely carry on into next week.
Perth will have temperatures in the high 20s and low 30s over the weekend and into next week.
With AAP
