Flooding and wild thunderstorms are set to batter the east coast as ‘massive’ weather system half the size of NSW hits – after Tasmania shivered through its coldest day on record
- A weather system that is half the size of New South Wales will batter the state
- Emergency services have prepared south-east residents for evacuation
- Severe flooding could isolate communities and badly damage resident’s homes
- Bega is set to receive between 200 and 300 millimetres of rain over weekend
New South Wales will be battered by a massive weather system half the size of the state with flooding and wild thunderstorms on the way.
Emergency services have already been preparing communities for evacuation across the south-east of the state.
The area is expected to receive the heaviest rainfall with the threat of severe flooding that could isolate communities and badly damage homes.
‘We have additional flood resources prepared and ready to go, to the south coast in particular, and we’ve also been looking at having other out of area support from our partner emergency services,’ NSW State Emergency Service assistant commissioner Greg Lynch told the NCA Newswire.
New South Wales will be battered by a weather system half the size of the state with flooding and wild thunderstorms on the way while Perth is expected to get a month’s worth of rain in four days (pictured, rain map for Sunday’s forecast)
A woman wearing a face mask walks through a soaked Circular Quay in Sydney
Helicopters have been called into the Bega Valley and Moruya areas to assist with any flood rescue missions.
BOM incident manager Agata Imielska warned yesterday the Bega area is expected to record between 200 and 300 millimetres of rain and that a flood watch had been put in place.
Fire-ravaged parts of the state are also on high alert with the previous destruction to the landscape and added threat of heavy rainfall making it the perfect pairing for disaster.
‘When fires go through, we can see less vegetation (in the area), and that means soil is more likely to be eroded when heavy rainfall comes through,’ Ms Imielska said.
‘This can produce more flash flooding, as the rain doesn’t really soak into the landscape, it just runs off.’
Moderate to heavy rain is also forecast to fall across southwestern Queensland with some areas receiving their monthly August average in one day.
Perth is also set to receive a month’s worth of rain in just four days with a monster cold front bringing in the first of the rains from Sunday.
Parts of the state could record as much as 45mm on the day, with 35mm forecast for Monday and 10mm for Tuesday and Wednesday.
The wild weather in New South Wales follows from a cold streak that has braced other parts of the country with Tasmania recording its coldest ever day on record.
The state recorded -14.2C yesterday, marginally beating its 1983 record of -14C.
The wild weather in New South Wales follows from a cold streak that has braced other parts of the country with Tasmania recording its coldest ever day on record (pictured, Skytrek Willow Springs Station)
Skytrek Willow Springs Station (pictured) took these photos of the snow in Flinders Ranges National Park on Friday
It was so cold it was warmer at the Australian Antartic research station in Casey on Thursday, meteorologist Simon Louis told the ABC.
‘I don’t think that would happen very often at all,’ he said.
Snow fell over the Flinders Ranges in South Australia on Friday which meterologists called ‘highly unusual’ for the region.
The Ikara Safari Camp posted a photo of the snow on Mt Ohlsen Bagge at Wilpena Pound captioned: ‘We don’t see this very often. Snuggle up campers.’
Meterologist Jonathan How said there could also be records broken for lowest maximums around Adelaide with the mercury predicted to reach 10C, the record for the capital is 9.3C.