Aussies warned to brace for wet start to July, with rain forecast for nearly entire country
Meteorologists are warning that heavy rainfall will soak the country from head to toe, for a wetter-than-average start to July.
Environment
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Australians have been warned to brace for a wet and wild start to July, with some areas expected to exceed monthly rainfall averages in the first week.
Flood watches are already in place for a number of catchments as a “large cloud band” sweeps across the northwest, bringing “unseasonably heavy rain” to outback areas for the second time this week.
Meteorologists are warning the heavy rainfall that soaked Western Australia’s Kimberley region, and areas in the Northern Territory and South Australian interior earlier this week will return to the north on Friday before moving east over the weekend.
Queensland could see heavy rain and thunderstorms by Sunday, Angus Hines from the Bureau of Meteorology told news.com.au, before the southern states can expect a splash next week.
“Rainfall this week is likely to exceed monthly average in northern parts of Western Australia, and interior parts of South Australia and Queensland,” he said.
“We can expect some falls to reach NSW and Victoria … although those states do not have as much heavy rain as what’s coming to northern states.”
Mr Hines said the rain in the north was combining with cooler temperatures – “as much as 15 degrees below-average” in the Territory – that are also likely to follow the rain east.
The expected downpour comes as the Bureau of Meteorology issued warnings to every state and territory today over extreme marine winds.
Mr Hines said areas on the land in NSW, Victoria and Tasmania can also expect windy conditions over the weekend, but not as damaging as those out at sea.
As of 4pm AEST on Thursday, flood watches had been issued in Western Australia and the Northern Territory, with more likely amid the incoming downpour.
Sky News Australia meteorologist Bradlyn Oakes said areas of the Kimberley could see “an entire season’s-worth of rain” on Friday, alone, with up to 50mm of precipitation possibly falling.
She said this latest dumping follows above-average rainfalls throughout June, particularly in the outback, most of which fell in the last seven days.
“Over the month through to the end of June we saw many areas seeing over 400 per cent of their monthly rainfall,” Ms Oakes said, most of that falling in the interior and north and south Australia.
And “more is coming” she said, as the trough intensifies over the Territory and pushes east – “that is going to bring … another month’s, season’s worth of rain” – and multiple fronts hit the south next week.
Plus, she said, the winter chill will keep areas of the country shivering through “below-seasonal” temperatures.
“We’re going to be a few degrees below seasonal (temperatures) heading through the next couple of days, (with) interior areas quite a bit below seasonal,” Ms Oakes said, noting some are predicted to drop “over 10 degrees below seasonal”.
Most capital cities can expect wet weather next week, except Darwin which will sweat through hot, dry 30-degree days.
Sydneysiders may see showers on Monday, through to Thursday, temperatures around 18 degrees all week.
Melbourne can expect temperatures around the mid-teens with showers expected at the start of the weekend, before pausing on Sunday, and continuing from Tuesday.
In Brisbane, it will be a cloudy and breezy weekend, 21 degrees. Showers are likely to start on Monday and continue through the week.
Adelaide is expected to have a pretty dreary week, with rain expected on Saturday, then again from midweek. Temperatures will hover around 15 degrees.
In the west, Perth will have a sunny weekend, with a maximum of 19 degrees on Sunday. Showers are and mild temperatures are forecast for next week, though.
Canberra is looking partly cloudy and chilly for the weekend, with frosty mornings until Tuesday when the rain is expected to arrive.
Hobart can expect similar temperatures – below 15 degrees – all week, with light winds and rain possible on Saturday, before returning on Tuesday for the rest of the week.
Originally published as Aussies warned to brace for wet start to July, with rain forecast for nearly entire country
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