Brutal New Year’s Eve weather on the way for much of the east coast of Australia

A brutal new trough system is expected to lash through several major cities across Australia through the new year.

Passengers return to Manly boat Habour aboard a Queensland Water Police boat after the charterboat they were on this morning capsized in Moreton Bay.

Residents across Australia’s east coast have been warned to brace for more wild weather with further storms predicted this weekend.

The Bureau of Meteorology predicts a wet start to 2024 in Brisbane, Canberra, Sydney, and Darwin, with a new system to hit Saturday, potentially bringing severe thunderstorms.

BOM forecaster Jonathan How said a surface trough was being pushed off the NSW coast, but warned that another system will likely form and lash south-east Queensland by Saturday.

“As the (current) pressure system skirts into the Tasman Sea and towards New Zealand on Thursday morning, it’ll take the worst of the weather with it,” Mr How said.

“(But) Another surface trough will develop on Saturday and it brings a risk of severe thunderstorms with it.”

A view of people seen running to take cover in Circular Quay in Sydney. Photo by: NCA Newswire/ Gaye Gerard

Mr How said above average temperatures, dry and humid conditions were expected along the east coast of Australia on Thursday and Friday.

“We do see a return to more settled and dry conditions across Victoria, Tasmania and Queensland, but it will be quite hot with temperatures climbing well above average,’’ he said.

“Brisbane is expected to reach 36 degrees on Thursday, that is eight degrees above average.’’

Heat wave conditions could prove problematic for parts of Queensland which remain without power after wild storms took hundreds of power lines.

Parts of Brisbane, Logan and the Gold Coast were still without power on Wednesday night.

A view of people seen running to take cover in Circular Quay in Sydney. Photo by: NCA Newswire/ Gaye Gerard

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate encouraged people without power to seek a reprieve in air conditioned council libraries.

About 800 homes in the city required assistance in the aftermath of the storms.

“They’re working very hard, they’ve got 15 teams on the ground, 13 rural fire trucks deployed, and central Queensland teams are coming down to join to build up the numbers,” he said.

Sydney and other parts of NSW have been smashed by yet another storm on Wednesday afternoon.

A view of Lavender Bay and Sydney Harbour from Hickson Road in the Rocks in Sydney as wet weather and storms hit Sydney again Wednesday.

Weather warnings for severe thunderstorms were issued all the way from the Northern Beaches to the Illawarra Coast, with the BOM warning of one massive storm cell merging.