Six days of showers and possible storms, forecast to fall over Newcastle in the coming week, will be a welcome change but is unlikely to delay the shift to level two water restrictions in Newcastle and parts of the Hunter on Monday.
The mostly inland rain event could produce up to 25 millimetres on Friday, with possible storms and showers Thursday through Monday, but it will likely not be enough to break prolonged dry conditions.
Less than half a millimetre of rain has fallen on Newcastle in the past 45 days. December - historically the city's wettest month - recorded only five millimetres against a monthly mean of 1118 millimetres, according to Bureau of Meteorology data.
Level two restrictions are primed to come into effect when Hunter Water storage levels - which includes Chichester and Grahamstown dams, and Tomago and Anna Bay sand beds - fall below a combined 50 per cent. Storage levels were at 53 per cent on Wednesday.
Under level two restrictions, outdoor watering limited to 15 minutes every other day and showers should be kept to four minutes.
Newcastle beach was closed for more than two hours on Wednesday after strong east to south-east winds and an incoming tide blew in an armada of bluebottles.
The beach was closed 11am after reports several people had been stung. Lifeguards on duty provided first-aid but said no one was seriously injured.
The forecast stormy weather is unlikely to produce rough surf conditions, lifeguards say, with light west to northwesterly winds on Thursday, southerlys on Friday, and south-westerlys Saturday.
