The sun has been shining bright in Sydney over the past few weeks, and we’ve been treated to some stunning days: with high skies and crystal clear waters. But it looks like our beach weather is wrapping up for a few days at least, with a huge winter storm headed for the Harbour City.
According to the Bureau of Meteorology, Sydney is set to be battered by torrential rain, super strong surf and “damaging” winds when a powerful low-pressure system hits Australia’s east coast over the next few days.
Due to arrive on Tuesday, July 1, the storm is expected to peak over Tuesday and Wednesday, with winds of up to 45 kilometres per hour and up to 90 millimetres of rain due on Tuesday alone. On Wednesday, we’re due for up to 35 millimetres of rain, damaging winds of up to 40 kilometres per hour and “hazardous” surf conditions. If you were planning an ocean swim, you’ll want to reschedule.
High rainfall in the Harbour City in June isn’t super rare – it’s generally known as the wettest month of the year. But even so, the rainfall we’re set to see over the next few days is unusual – with the average rainfall in June 132 millimetres, and up to 140 millimetres due to fall on Sydney between Tuesday and Thursday. With more than a month’s worth of rain due to fall this week alone, flood warnings have been issued across Sydney, the Hunter region, Illawarra and the South Coast.
According to the BoM, the rain is due to ease on Thursday, but we should still expect high winds of up to 35 kilometres per hour. Thankfully, it’s looking like the storm will have passed in time for the weekend, with Friday looking sunny, and “light winds” forecast for Saturday.
Weather systems are always changing, so you can stay up to date on the latest updates and weather warnings over here.
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