Residents of Australia’s eastern states have been warned to prepare for severe storms forecast over the Christmas weekend.
Thunderstorms are expected between Christmas Eve and Boxing Day across a broad region, including much of New South Wales and south-east Queensland and spreading down into Victoria.
Authorities are warning residents to prepare for potential flash flooding, with falls of up to 100mm forecast.
Angus Hines, a senior meteorologist at the Bureau of Meteorology, said that while thunderstorms across December were not uncharacteristic they are forecast to be relatively intense over the coming days.
“We’re looking at the risk of severe thunderstorms, that certainly brings the risk of very intense weather,” he said.
“We’re expecting some parts of the eastern side of the country to experience some clear, sunny, warm weather before the storms [arrive]. But they can change things really rapidly.
“There could be severe, damaging wind, heavy rain or hail or sometimes … the combination of all three as the storms roll over here. [We’re] certainly looking at severe, intense conditions.”
NSW SES’s deputy commissioner, Debbie Platz, said residents should prepare their homes and not take any risks.
“We’re expecting 50mm to 100mm rainfall in parts of the state from Sunday, and we are concerned about the potential for flash flooding and storm damage,” Platz said.
“We are continuing to monitor the conditions and are prepared to preposition assets and personnel should it be required.”
On Saturday afternoon, the bureau issued a severe thunderstorm warning in NSW, for heavy rain, large hail and damaging winds, that stretched from the northeastern border with Queensland, right down to the southwest corner.
The most recent #SevereThunderstormWarning update now includes #HeavyRain for the risk of localised flash #flooding. The #warning area has expanded. Further updates are expected this afternoon and evening. Check here regularly for the latest updates: https://t.co/tPLmA43zYp pic.twitter.com/INJC21zPTZ
— Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) December 23, 2023
Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane are all forecast to experience showers on Christmas Day, with the potential for thunderstorms. Up to 30mm of rain and 23-degree temperatures are forecast for Melbourne, with up to 20mm of rain for Brisbane (33 degrees), according to the BoM. Sydney is forecast to receive up to 7mm of rain and reach 28 degrees.
Canberra is also facing possible storms, with up to 25mm forecast with a maximum temperature of 23 degrees.
It comes as a heatwave warning was issued for parts of Western Australia through to Wednesday, with severe and extreme heatwave conditions expected across the northern and north-eastern parts of the state. Maximum temperatures in the mid-to-low 40s are forecast for the region, which includes the Kimberley, Pilbara, Gascoyne, North Interior and South Interior districts.
A fire weather warning has been issued for Burrup on Saturday, with fresh west to north-west winds and hot conditions leading to elevated fire dangers.
Perth is forecast to be 36 degrees on Christmas Eve and 33 on Christmas Day, before a cool change on Tuesday. In both Hobart and Adelaide, Christmas is forecast to be a cool 21 degrees, with the chance of a shower.
Darwin, meanwhile, is likely to have a sunny Christmas, reaching 34 degrees.
