Huge supercell storm with massive hail to hit Sydney this afternoon after smashing Canberra

An enormous thunderstorm is travelling toward Sydney and Melbourne after ravaging Canberra, destroying cars and tearing down trees in its path. 

Large hail stones, damaging winds and much-needed heavy rainfall will likely hit swathes of southern NSW and Victoria by Monday afternoon.

Pictures show the front gardens of Parliament House in the Australian Capital Territory covered in golf ball-sized pieces of hail, while mountains of ice piled up against doorways and footpaths.

Car windows were shattered in the storm and the ferocity of the downpour ripped branches from trees throughout the state.

Meteorologists now predict the supercell storm will drench much of drought-ravaged NSW and Victoria by mid-afternoon. 

Golf ball size hail fell on the gardens at Parliament House in Canberra on Monday

Mountains of ice piled up against doorways and footpaths in Canberra after the storm tore through

Mountains of ice piled up against doorways and footpaths in Canberra after the storm tore through

A weather map shows the predicted rain fall travelling through the southern parts of NSW

A weather map shows the predicted rain fall travelling through the southern parts of NSW 

A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for the southwest slopes and nearby regions.

Weatherzone meteorologist Scott Morris on Monday told Daily Mail Australia Sydneysiders could expect the storm to hit by about 2pm.  

‘We should be expecting severe thunderstorms more south east NSW this afternoon and late into this evening,’ he said. ‘The storms currently over the Blue Mountains should move east and reach western parts of Sydney by about 2pm.’ 

‘They should be in Sydney very soon. They will be moving on to the city between 3-4pm. With the system we could see destructive winds, possibly in excess of 100km/h.’ 

The weather bureau confirmed the state was about to be hit by downpours (aftermath in Melbourne pictured on Sunday)

The weather bureau confirmed the state was about to be hit by downpours (aftermath in Melbourne pictured on Sunday) 

Golf ball sized hail balls pounded parts of Canberra on Monday - with fears the storm is heading to Sydney

Golf ball sized hail balls pounded parts of Canberra on Monday – with fears the storm is heading to Sydney

The grounds of Parliament House were entirely covered in hail balls after the storm swept throug

The grounds of Parliament House were entirely covered in hail balls after the storm swept throug

Mr Morris said residents should take extra precautions by moving valuables to a safe space to avoid any significant damage which hail could cause.  

The Bureau of Meteorology on Monday morning said severe thunderstorms were likely to form from north of Newcastle to the NSW-Victoria border on the coast.

A severe thunderstorm warning was also issued for the southwest slopes, as well as parts of the southern tablelands, central-west slopes and plains, Riverina, lower western and Snowy Mountains regions.

Residents from areas of Victoria took to social media to share images of hailstones as big as their hands on Sunday (pictured). More hail is expected in Victoria's east on Monday

Residents from areas of Victoria took to social media to share images of hailstones as big as their hands on Sunday (pictured). More hail is expected in Victoria’s east on Monday 

Areas likely to be hit by heavy storms included Wagga Wagga, Albury, West Wyalong, Griffith, Narrandera and bushfire-affected Tumbarumba.

BoM said the low-pressure system prompting the thunderstorm warning would move east to the Tasman Sea by Monday night.

Winds will shift and come more from the north and west mid-week, bringing drier and warmer air – and higher fire danger – on Wednesday and Thursday.

But rain will return on Friday and the weekend.

Firefighters are working to slow the spread of fire and build containment lines while the rain lasts, with increased fire danger expected later this week.

Meanwhile in Victoria, the town of Broadford recorded 50mm of rainfall in 45 minutes overnight.

Bushfire-ravaged parts of Victoria now face the possibility of flash flooding as the state prepares for its wettest two-day period in months.

Heavy rain, damaging winds and large hail are possible in eastern parts of the state including East Gippsland where fires continue to burn.

The Bureau of Meteorology forecasts rain across much of the east coast of Australia

The Bureau of Meteorology forecasts rain across much of the east coast of Australia

A woman was spotted in Sydney CBD as the rain fell. A thunderstorm warning has been issued

A woman was spotted in Sydney CBD as the rain fell. A thunderstorm warning has been issued

A severe weather warning was put in place on Sunday at 6pm for heavy rainfall expected to develop across the state on Monday.

‘Widespread falls of 10-30mm are forecast for the warning area, with isolated falls of 60-80mm associated with thunderstorm activity’, the warning read.

Across other parts of the state, widespread falls of 20-50mm are forecast with peak falls to 100mm possible. Much of the rainfall is expected to pour in periods of 4 to 6 hours.

‘We’re going to see some potential flash flooding and severe thunderstorms over the next couple of days, including some damaged fire areas,’ Emergency Services Minister Lisa Neville warned.

‘Victoria is about to see its wettest two-day period in many, many months,’ Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Dean Narramore added.

While rain was welcome in the state, it did come with dangers.

Horrific scenes were captured in Melbourne when the storm battered the city on Sunday

Aftermath of the storm on Sunday

Horrific scenes were captured in Melbourne when the storm battered the city on Sunday

Heavy rain, damaging winds and large hail are possible in eastern parts of the state over two days, flooding backyards

Heavy rain, damaging winds and large hail are possible in eastern parts of the state over two days, flooding backyards

‘Unfortunately coming in this massive amount in one go, quickly does cause some risk … both in how you capture most of that … and also debris run-off and the potential for fallen trees,’ the emergency services minister said. 

Further storms are expected for southeast Queensland after as much as 350mm of rain fell in some areas throughout the weekend.

Brisbane could see up to 30mm of rain on Monday afternoon according to BoM – which also forecasts heatwave conditions across the state for much of the week.

Heavy falls caused flash flooding on the weekend, which shut down major roads and caused delays.

Little Nerang Dam in the Gold Coast Hinterland, is near capacity after the downpour.

Seqwater has recorded the dam at 96 per cent full after the weekend rain, up from 72.5 per cent on Friday. 

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk