It will be a wet week for large parts of Australia as a cool change moves across the east coast, bringing showers and thunderstorms with it.
A cloud band moving across central Australia and parts of the east coast will create heavy showers from Brisbane to Tasmania, the Bureau of Meteorology said on Monday.
A southerly change is sitting underneath the cloud band through central Australia, bringing cold air up from Antarctica and unusually cool temperatures across large parts of the country.
“Temperatures in central and eastern Australia are between six and 12 degrees below average for this time of year,” Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Dean Narramore said.
“The cloud is blocking the sun and cold winds are making temperatures cooler. So places that are normally in the high 20s, are only in the high teens,” he said.
The message for most of the country is rug up this week, he said.
“This is cold, we do normally get a burst of winter weather in spring, that is what spring is, a fight between winter and summer but most of the country will run below average,” Narramore said.
A low-pressure system moving over eastern Australia from Wednesday will create a “big week for weather” with those on the eastern seaboard being warned to take an umbrella.
There are severe thunderstorms predicted for western Queensland on Monday, which move to the south-east on Tuesday and Brisbane will potentially see 20mm of rainfall.
Sydney this week will be drenched in showers as the city’s reopening takes place to a backdrop of rain.
In good news for those wanting to enjoy larger gatherings over the weekend, the showers are expected to ease around Friday, with the weekend bringing some warmer temperatures.
Sydney is expected to see showers between two and six millimetres from Tuesday to Thursday, with temperatures hitting the low 20s later in the week.
Regional New South Wales will be hit hardest by the storms, with the Northern Rivers area likely to experience around one month’s worth of rain within a few days.
The area around Byron, Ballina, Tweed and Lismore normally sees an average monthly rainfall of 50mm, which could fall before Friday.
Minor flood watches have also been issued for parts of the state including the Lachlan and Murray rivers.
The rain started across large parts of Victoria on Monday but Wednesday is set to be the big storm day for the state.
Melbourne will enjoy a sunny day on Tuesday before being hit by thunderstorms Wednesday evening.
There will be winter-like temperatures for the city across the rest of the week, with possible hail on the weekend.
Although there were no flood warnings currently in place, Narramore said residents in parts of Victoria and Tasmania should be alert for floods later in the week and across the weekend.
“Be aware of heavy rainfall rising in creeks and rivers,” Narramore said.
