For days, weather watchers have been warning that this weekend is likely to be a washout in the east.
Saturated soils mean flooding is likely including in parts of Sydney.
There will be some respite from the rain after the weekend. But in weather news no one wanted to hear, forecasters have said that more rain is bubbling up and is set to bring a fresh drenching next week.
“There’s a bit of uncertainty about exactly how this pans out but, unfortunately, the target zone again looks to be New South Wales and the Murray Darling system as a whole,” said Sky News Weather meteorologist Rob Sharp.
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Officially Sydney’s wettest year since records began
The soaking of NSW has been unprecedented – and that’s now official.
The seemingly never ending La Nina topped off with the October downpours has led 2022 to be the wettest year in Sydney since records began in 1858.
Since New Year 2.2 meters of rain has fallen on the city’s main weather station. To put it more precisely, by Thursday afternoon in total across the year 2213mm of rain had been recorded in the gauge, surpassing the previous highest amount of 2194mm in 1950, the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) confirmed.
On Thursday, 91mm fell on Sydney with 28mm on Wednesday and 18mm the day before.
There is more to come.
“As we move through Friday night and into Saturday, there’s a notable drying trend across the south of the country,” said Mr Sharpe.
“But a third rain band is coming, it will turn into a low pressure system and therefore we’ll see the heaviest rain for the rain event for many locations as that runs down into the east.
‘Feel almost like winter’
“It will also become pretty windy and we could see a severe weather warning for damaging winds on Sunday”.
That cold and rainy weather will spread across not just NSW but northern Victoria, southern Queensland and parts of Tasmania too.
“It won’t really feel like spring, it will feel almost like winter,” Mr Sharpe said.
The rain may be easing in Sydney – but don’t be fooled into thinking its disappearing. Friday should still see up to 15mm fall on the Harbour City and a possible thunderstorm.
Saturday morning might be drier but come the afternoon and evening the deluge starts again. Totals of 40-50mm are possible and then further 25-35mm on Sunday, with the rain tailing if in the afternoon.
That’s up to 100mm from Friday to Sunday in Sydney.
Minor flooding has already occurred on the Hawkesbury River in Sydney and the BOM has warned more is possible. The Hunter, which flows through Newcastle, could also burst its banks in places.
A high of 23C on Saturday in Sydney will fall to 17C on Sunday with minimums of 10C.
Across Friday and over the weekend, Port Macquarie could see around 30mm of rain, Dubbo 80mm, Bourke 60mm and Bega 40mm.
Wollongong is staring down 90 – 130mm of moisture over three very soggy days.
Canberra will see showers and 15-25mm of rain on Friday and then similar totals on each weekend day. Temperatures could fall to a maximum of 14C on Sunday and a minimum of 4C.
More rain on the horizon
Just for a change, Monday and Tuesday should be dry and mostly sunny in much of NSW. But it won’t last, said the Bureau of Meteorology’s Jonathan How.
“The next system coming through from the west will create areas of widespread rain for mid next week along the east.”
On Monday and Tuesday isolated falls of up to 100mm could potentially hit inland southern Queensland and eastern NSW.
Its early days still but these weather systems generally move west to east, so coastal areas should see further rain as next week progresses.
Back to this week and it’s mostly dry in Brisbane but around 5mm of rain could descend on Sunday. Pleasant spring highs in the mid-twenties are due.
Inland across the south of Queensland, expect heavier falls. St George could see 20-35mm between Friday and Saturday.
Townsville will be sunny with the mercury in the low thirties.
In Melbourne, 15mm is the maximum rainfall on a showery Friday and then the rain will hold off. At least until later next week when some solid downpours could occur.
Chilly in the Victorian capital with 15C weekend highs and as lows as 5C early on Monday.
Some showers in Hobart in Friday and Saturday but none particularly heavy and it should dry up on Sunday. A 21C high on Friday will drop to 14C on the weekend with minimums of 5-8C.
Wetter on the north coast of Tasmania with Wynyard looking at 15-20mm on Friday.
Passing showers in Adelaide on Friday and then mostly dry until Tuesday. Mid-teen highs and lows or around 7C on a cloudy weekend.
Sunny with some clouds in Perth on Friday and into the weekend. Temperatures should rise from 20C on Friday to 23C on Saturday but sill cold overnight with lows below 10C.
Stormy in Darwin most days with 5-15mm of rainfall and mid-thirties maximums.