Severe Weather: Rain, Damaging Winds Hit Australia

These areas have seen significant rainfall deficits over the past 6, 12, even 18 months. The rain that we're expecting over the coming days is not going to do too much to dent these long term deficits, but it is going to be good news for many of our communities through these very dry parts of Australia. However, it's not without its own hazards. While we are looking at a widespread 20 to 40mm for many of our growing areas, particularly through South Australia and western Victoria, we could see many of our roads becoming a little bit flooded or potentially muddy and impassible where they're dirt roads. This could lead to very dangerous driving conditions, as those roads grow slippery with the rain and visibility reduces as well.

Now, the other key impact we're expecting as this system moves across the country are the damaging winds. We've already issued severe weather warnings for damaging winds across four separate states of Australia: Queensland, the Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia. Now, for most of these areas, the risk of damaging winds is mainly focused on tomorrow as this system starts to move eastwards. But the south coast of Western Australia may see some damaging wind gusts through this afternoon as well.

Now those winds as well may lead to trees and branches being brought down, potentially damaging cars or property where they fall, particularly where they're combining with that rainfall as well. We may also see some power outages over the next few days if power lines are impacted by the winds as well.

So what's driving all of this wet and windy weather? The answer to that is a cold front. It crossed the west coast yesterday, bringing some fairly significant thunderstorms to the Perth area and it's now moving across those inland parts of Western Australia, directing a broad rain band across much of WA. That rain is expected to push into parts of South Australia and southern parts of the Northern Territory through the course of today. The system is attached to a low pressure system sitting to the south of the continent, and that low is going to help push this cold front and the rain band eastwards over the next few days.

We may also see some thunderstorms in some parts today, which could produce some damaging wind gusts across the interior and south of Western Australia. As we go into tomorrow this cold front is going to pull the rain band eastwards, introducing that rain to eastern parts of South Australia, Western Victoria, New South Wales and southern parts of Queensland too. The rain will be widespread, soaking and lasting for a number of hours. Unlike the patchier showers we're expecting to pull up behind that frontal system.

The winds are also expected to really increase through the course of tomorrow. Here, I'm looking at winds above the surface to get an impression of how strong the wind gusts might be as they come down with any showers and thunderstorms that develop. Now anywhere you can see these red and pink colours, that's the areas we really want to focus on. These are the winds, which might produce that damage to trees and property. You can see that it's ahead of the front, that there's a real focus of strong winds moving eastwards as the front moves east. But we also have some areas of damaging winds behind the front as well although less widespread.

That band of strong winds shifts into the eastern states late Friday into Saturday as the front pushes eastwards and we see those strong winds moving across the east coast through the course of Saturday, before the system gradually starts to move offshore and the winds start to ease. That means these wind warnings that we're seeing at the moment really flagging that wind risk for Friday. They may extend eastwards over the next 24 to 48 hours. That cold front is pushing the strong winds east. And so our warnings will reflect this risk as well. It is essential to stay on top of all the warning updates at this time.

As we go into Saturday the cold front is going to gradually move off the east coast, taking this main rain band with it. We are likely to see an easing in that soaking widespread rain across the mainland, but we will still be left with very scattered showers, cooler air in the wake of the system as well, with some snow possible about those south-east alpine areas.

Now, Friday and Saturday are definitely looking likely to be the wettest days as this system moves across the country. It is essential to stay on top of all of our forecasts and warnings at this time, which you can do through the Bureau's website, the BOM Weather app, and via our social media. Stay safe and we'll catch you next time.