Severe weather warnings are active across Australia’s east and south-east as a powerful cold front sweeps through the region. The Bureau of Meteorology forecasts heavy rain, damaging winds, and thunderstorms to impact major capital cities including Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney, and Brisbane.
Cold front moves across Victoria and New South Wales
Melbourne and eastern Victoria experienced moderate rainfall and lightning on Saturday morning ahead of a stronger band of afternoon storms. Bureau of Meteorology meteorologist Angus Hines stated that the secondary band of storms could pack a punch.
The system threatens Melbourne, the north-central parts of Victoria, the north-eastern ranges, and Gippsland, with destructive winds posing the highest danger. The risk zone expands northward into inland New South Wales during the evening, reaching the southern interior of Queensland and the New South Wales coast south of Sydney near Wollongong and the Illawarra.
Forecasters anticipate active storms by the mid-to-late afternoon in inland areas, while coastal regions may not experience the severe weather until the evening hours. Mountainous regions in northern Victoria and southern New South Wales are also under severe wind warnings, with morning gusts already exceeding 100km/h.
Severe weather shifts north toward Brisbane on Sunday
The severe weather system will move further north on Sunday, bringing storms and heavy rainfall to Brisbane during the afternoon and early evening hours. The New South Wales mid-north coast, the northern rivers, the tablelands, and the Hunter region face the highest probability of severe thunderstorms accompanied by large hail, heavy rain, flash flooding, and destructive winds exceeding 125km/h.
Regions that have experienced increased rainfall over the previous fortnight remain particularly vulnerable to flash flooding. Hines advised residents in the affected zones to monitor radar updates closely throughout Sunday to track approaching storms.
Sunday’s broader area of concern spans from Newcastle, north of Sydney, extending northward up to Gympie on the Sunshine Coast.
