Severe thunderstorms expected as cold front hits NSW and Queensland
A cold front moving north-easterly across Victoria will bring strong southerly winds, heavy rain and hail to New South Wales and parts of Queensland on Saturday, followed by cooler conditions on Sunday.
A large cold front advancing north-easterly through Victoria is set to become the dominant weather feature across eastern Australia on Saturday and Sunday, according to the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM).
"Severe thunderstorms are on the forecast through this afternoon and this evening, which could do the usual things we see, bringing damaging winds, large hail and heavy rainfall," BOM meteorologist David Crock said.
"As the cold front sweeps up the NSW coast throughout Saturday it’s going to bring a pretty dramatic change. Temperatures are nudging 30°C in Sydney today, but when we see that change it will move in with some really strong, gusty southerly winds. A sudden drop in temperature of maybe 10 degrees or so will take place, and there are showers and thunderstorms possible as well."
The Hunter region is expected to experience the most pronounced shift, with extreme fire-danger conditions during daylight hours and the risk of heavy rainfall later in the day. Severe thunderstorms are also forecast for northern suburbs of Brisbane and parts of the Wide Bay-Burnett region.
In the northern territories, heatwave conditions will persist, with Marble Bar recording a November high of 46.5°C, a local record, and several other tropical-north locations posting recent temperature extremes.
Sunday’s outlook shows cooler weather along the lower east coast, with maximum temperatures of about 19°C in Sydney and 17°C in Melbourne, while Brisbane will remain warm at 29°C. Hobart, Adelaide, Perth and Darwin are forecast to have highs of 16°C, 24°C, 18°C and 35°C respectively.