A spectacular Easter long weekend is expected for much of Australia, with warm and sunny conditions forecast for most capitals before rain reaches the eastern states at the start of next week.
Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney can all expect warm and sunny weather during the long weekend.
“It’s going to be a bloody nice Easter for many,” said Dean Narramore, Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist, “which is nice as Christmas was wet and rainy for many in the south-east.”
“Every state is looking pretty good. The only rain will be across northern and western Queensland and the Northern Territory, which is pretty normal at the end of the wet season.”
The calm outlook follows extreme bouts of dry and warm weather across southern and western Australia. Large parts of the mainland interior and tropical north will be stormy over the holidays, continuing what has been an “almost relentlessly” wet start to the autumn, Narramore said.
Temperatures in the low 30s are predicted for inland parts of New South Wales over Easter, while the east will reach the high 20s. Showers and storms will affect the state’s west but the north-east will remain dry. Sydney is expected to be sunny, with temperatures in the high 20s.
Victoria’s north is predicted to reach the low 30s with plenty of sunshine. In Melbourne, temperatures are expected reach the mid to high 20s, with sunshine possibly giving way to showers and storms on Monday.
“We’ll see the next weather system moving to southeastern parts of the country on Monday, which will mean showers and thunderstorms through parts of Victoria and possibly Melbourne,” Narramore said.
“It’s worth keeping an eye on for anyone heading back to Melbourne on Monday, that could be a bit dicey.”
He said the rain would likely be welcomed, given the month of March has been bone-dry in Melbourne, with just 2.8mm of rain recorded so far.
The wet weather is forecast to then reach New South Wales and southern Queensland on Tuesday and Wednesday.
In Queensland, Brisbane is expected to stay mostly fine over Easter, with a chance of some showers. Inland temperatures will be in the low 30s and the coast will reach high 20s. Showers and thunderstorms are forecast for northern and western parts of the state.
South Australia’s inland temperatures are expected to reach the mid 30s, with Adelaide forecast to reach 30C on Saturday and 28C on Sunday. Showers and storms are expected through northern and eastern parts of the state but won’t reach the city until later in the week.
After record-breaking heat and low rainfall over the spring and summer in Perth, the dry will continue over the weekend in Western Australia, said Narramore.
Temperatures in Perth will sit in the high 20s to mid-30s, while most of the rest of the state will reach the mid-30s.
Meanwhile, in Tasmania temperatures are expected to be in the teens to low 20s, with Tasmania enjoying a fine and partly cloudy Easter long weekend.
Northern Territory’s temperatures will hover around the low 30s, with widespread thunderstorms predicted over the long weekend.
In the Australian Capital Territory, it’s expected to be much the same as parts of NSW and northern Victoria, with the capital forecast to see sunshine and temperatures into the high 20s.
- Additional reporting Benita Kolovos
