A dangerous ‘supercell’ storm has battered millions of Australians with heavy rain and hail before ominous dark skies.
Sydney was devastated by a dramatic storm that made landfall within minutes on Friday evening as severe weather warnings were in place in many parts of New South Wales after strong thunderstorms lashed the state.
The storm marked another day of wild weather after a terrible tornado that wreaked havoc across the western NSW.
A dangerous ‘supercell’ storm precedes ominous black skies as millions of Australians devastated by heavy rain and hail Sydney
Sydney was devastated by a storm on Friday evening and severe weather warnings are in place in many parts of New South Wales after severe thunderstorms hit several areas.
Severe storm hits parts of east coast and southeast of NSW queensland Barrels from the west as a low pressure system on Friday.
Conditions were due to clear for a hot and sunny long weekend.
Meanwhile, other parts of the country – including Melbourne, ACT, Hobart, and Perth There is a chance of rain for a few days, as wet weather will continue next week.
The Bureau of Meteorology has issued warnings for damaging winds, heavy rain and large hailstorms for parts of inland NSW on Friday, as a massive weather system continues in the region.
A tornado (pictured) raged through central west NSW on Thursday, injuring three people, breaking power lines and damaging homes and trees.
Sydneysiders can expect more rain on Friday and Saturday before conditions clear up on Sunday (pictured, a walker in the rain in Sydney on Wednesday)
A tornado hit central west NSW on Thursday, injuring three people, breaking power lines and destroying buildings and trees along its path.
The violent storm traveled up to 30km on Thursday afternoon and destroyed a house at Meadow Flat in the Bathurst area, while at least one other home was also destroyed along with sheds and other structures in the area.
BoM meteorologist Hugh McDowell said widespread rain and thunderstorms in inland parts of the state peaked on Wednesday and Thursday and the weather front was now moving toward the coast.
Huge hailstones up to five centimeters in diameter were recorded in Bourke, in the far west of the state, with gusts reaching 85 km/h.
Walgate in northern NSW saw 60 mm of rain a day – double its monthly average for September – while Canberra recorded 38 mm, or half of the September average.
He said most communities would see only rain or rain over the next few days, with some more thunderstorms between now and the weekend.
Isolated thunderstorms may occur over central eastern NSW on Friday but there will be an avalanche of storm activity in many places.
“But there will be widespread rain in many parts of the state,” he said.
BoM said people should monitor changes in their areas in the coming days, remaining warnings for tornadoes, destructive winds, heavy rain and hail.
Hails up to 5 cm wide (pictured) were recorded at Bourke in the far west of NSW
Queensland and NSW will enjoy warmer temperatures on Sunday and Monday when storms clear (pictured, Sydneysiders enjoying the sun in Bondi)
As the trough moves offshore, conditions should ease, leading to a fairly good long weekend.
“We are seeing improvement in dryer and cooler conditions since Saturday.
“Sunday looks mostly dry with above average temperatures – even in the 30s – with significantly warmer conditions developing and this will continue through Monday and potentially Tuesday,” Mr McDowell said.
Parts of northern NSW will be at increased risk of bushfires as low humidity is combined with westerly winds. Residents in those areas are urged to be on the alert for warnings from fire services.
As the weather system charges toward the coast, Sydneysiders can expect drenching Friday and strong thunderstorms in the late morning and early afternoon.
The wet weather will continue into the beginning of the weekend, with some showers on Saturday, before clearing skies for a warm Sunday with a top of 27C.
A woman takes a photo of the city skyline as storm clouds gather in Sydney on Thursday
Similar conditions can be expected in Brisbane, with severe storms forecast to hit the city on Friday night, with the risk of devastating winds, large hail and flash floods.
But the wild weather will rest overnight to make way for a sunny and warm weekend with a maximum of 28C on Saturday and 30C on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Melbourneians will need umbrellas until next week, with rain forecast until Wednesday.
Despite the wet weather, temperatures will remain moderate – hovering between the low teens to 21C before dropping below 10C for a cold week from Tuesday.
Darwin will also see some showers on Friday and Saturday, with the mercury climbing between lows of 20C and lows of 30C.
Canberra, Perth and Hobart will see dry weather prevail over the weekend and rain will continue in all three cities through the middle of next week.
Canberran can expect cooler temperatures in the coming days, with minimum temperatures below 10 °C and highs below 20 °C.
It will be slightly warmer in Perth, with maximum temperatures hovering around 20C, while Hobart will be cooler with a peak in the mid teens.
Adelaide will see sporadic rain next week – but there will be some respite over the weekend. The rainfall will be minimal before falling to a maximum of 19°C on Sunday and a minimum of 12°C on Sunday and 9°C on Tuesday.
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