The weekend weather forecast for Australia shows ample rain across the country.
While Melbourne is in for a wet Friday afternoon, the Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for much of Victoria’s capital and areas near Geelong.
Updated severe thunderstorm warning for the #Melbourne area. Sheoaks has recorded 53mm since storms began. Warnings at https://t.co/J7sLWJ9j6g Radar at https://t.co/WmmjYSeJvF pic.twitter.com/DKq075PsaS
— Bureau of Meteorology, Victoria (@BOM_Vic) February 14, 2020
Residents in Melbourne, Mildura, Horsham, Warrnambool, Bendigo, Maryborough, Ballart and Geelong have been told to be prepared for flash flooding and large hailstones.
While some parts of Australia are preparing for additional torrential rainfall this weekend, other regions are facing a record-breaking February heatwave with temperatures forecast to soar above 40C.
As per the Bureau, Southeast Queensland will see plenty more showers today and through the weekend after dozens of rivers across the state and further south in NSW flooded.
People in parts of #Beenleigh #Beaudesert & #Logan should keep a watch on conditions this evening with flooding possible tonight & through Friday. More rain, combined with already swollen waterways has resulted in flood #warnings for Albert & Logan rivers: https://t.co/XHXAwo5ITF pic.twitter.com/izlOvGlu05
— Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland (@BOM_Qld) February 13, 2020
Similarly, some inland regions of Queensland received more than 100mm of rain in a single day with Casino copping a drenching yesterday.
For NSW, most areas will have a dry day on Friday before storms and showers develop in the afternoon for most of Victoria and southern and northern NSW.
A dry southerly air stream will stop the rain briefly before showers and storms lash eastern NSW for much of the weekend.
Sydney, the Northern Tablelands, Mid-North Coast, Hunter and south coast will experience drenching rain.
Meanwhile, a severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for the northeast with Lismore, Tenterfield, Byron Bay, Ballina and Casino facing possible flash flooding.
Flood warnings are in place for several rivers, including the Tweed River at Tumbulgum and the Orara River at Glenreagh, with the bureau saying many waterways are already saturated after last week’s record rainfall.
As southern and eastern Australia is likely to have a wet and cooler weekend, temperature is expected to get scorching further north.
Tropical Australia, including much of the Northern Territory and northern Queensland, is in the middle of an extreme heatwave.
