Let's begin with a look at the thunderstorm outlook maps, starting with today. The focus is very much across Western Australia and central parts of the country. We have an area in yellow where severe thunderstorms are possible, and an area in red where severe thunderstorms are likely.
Through these areas we could see heavy rain, damaging winds and large hail. It's a fairly remote part of Australia, but we could see impacts from the northern Goldfields into southern parts of the Northern Territory.
Thunderstorms are also possible across north-eastern parts of Queensland and about the north-east tropical coast, with pockets of heavy rainfall through the day.
Over the next few days, this area of thunderstorms will gradually progress towards the east coast.
On Thursday, thunderstorms are possible all the way from the Top End into southern parts of South Australia. There remains an area where severe thunderstorms are possible across central Australia. In Queensland, thunderstorms start to dip a little further down into the southern interior and become more likely.
On Friday, a number of weather systems merge and thunderstorms are possible over a very broad area of Australia, across the west, the interior and eastern Australia, including southern and south-eastern Queensland, north-east New South Wales, southern parts of South Australia and into western Victoria. Severe thunderstorms are possible in some areas.
These maps are dynamic and will change, and we'll be providing updates as well as an analysis for Saturday. So do keep in touch with our updates as we head into the weekend.
Storms, particularly severe storms, can cause impacts. Rain can wash away dirt and secondary roads, causing transport disruptions. Wind can cause damage to trees and property. Heavy rain and large hail can cause impacts to agricultural communities that are now starting to enter the harvesting season.
One way to look at thunderstorm activity is through precipitable water, which is a measure of how much water vapour is in the atmosphere. The darker the blue shades, the higher the precipitable water. This is one measure of thunderstorm severity as well as how broad the affected areas can be.
On Wednesday we see higher levels beginning to appear in Western Australia and along the east coast. Over the next few days these values increase across central Australia, drawn down by a surface trough, and also along the east coast.
By Friday, these higher values reach southern Queensland and north-east New South Wales. They'll peak on Saturday, with high levels of precipitable water stretching from the north-west of the country down into the south-east.
Let's take a closer day-by-day look now.
On Wednesday, there will be thunderstorms across interior parts of Western Australia, with possible heavy falls around the WA and NT border and into north-western South Australia.
On Thursday, the system moves east, rain increases across central Australia, and a few thunderstorms and showers spread into the Eyre Peninsula and down towards Adelaide. Activity also increases across southern interior parts of Queensland.
On Friday, thunderstorm activity ramps up across the east coast, including south-eastern Queensland, north-east New South Wales, and southern South Australia, where a low-pressure system brings unsettled conditions.
Saturday is the peak day for activity, with thunderstorms building through the day and peaking in the afternoon and evening. By Saturday evening, thunderstorms are possible from central and eastern New South Wales up into Queensland and the north of the country. Severe thunderstorms may develop across populated areas during the afternoon and evening.
With large areas of thunderstorms expected across much of Australia, stay up to date with the latest forecasts and warnings as we head into the weekend.
You can get these on our website and app, follow us on social media, and as always, please stay safe.
Video current: 12.30 pm AEDT Wednesday 12/11/25.
