After a week of stuffy temperatures, Border and North East residents can expect a severe change in weather with thunderstorms, large hail and even flash flooding today.
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The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe weather warning, with 25 to 70mm of rain predicted to fall in the Albury-Wodonga region on Thursday alone.
Manager of Bureau of Meteorology’s Extreme Weather Desk James Taylor said it would be the wettest day of the year for many regions.
“With a bit of luck some of the rain will be good news for parts of Victoria,” he said.
“A month’s worth of rainfall is a good way of describing it – for large parts of Victoria we’d expect over the coming days to see the [full] December average rainfall.”
The severe weather prediction has already caused Albury City to cancel Thursday’s QEII Twilight markets.
Mr Taylor said two coinciding weather systems over Australia would result in heavy rainfall across most of Victoria and parts of southern NSW.
He said Victoria would bear the brunt of a low pressure system that could draw moisture from Tropical Cyclone Owen.
Mr Taylor said this would result in a “cloud band with embedded thunderstorms” and destructive winds.
“The flash flooding associated with that storm activity is a real concern,” he said.
“We’re looking at a very wet day across a large part of Victoria on Thursday with a bit of a clearing trend, especially across Northern Victoria, on Friday.”
After a week of stuffy 30 degree days, the temperature will drop to a maximum of 28 and minimum of 19 degrees on Thursday in Albury-Wodonga, followed by 24 and 13 on Friday and 27 and 13 on Saturday.
Mr Taylor said the low pressure system and thunderstorms would develop in the west of Victoria during the early hours of Thursday morning.
He said it would travel eastwards across the state and into southwestern NSW on Friday.
Showers are forecast to continue on Saturday and possibly Sunday, before 30 degree weather returns early next week.
The Bureau of Meteorology urges residents to monitor updates, severe weather warning and river levels.
The State Emergency Service advises people should not walk, ride or drive through flood water, keep clear of creeks and storm drains.
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Digital journalists with The Border Mail.
Digital journalists with The Border Mail.
