Severe thunderstorms have developed over Queensland and its surrounding areas in recent days, while relatively cooler temperatures in the southern part of the country.
This is according to Australia weather authorities who predicted that there will be multiple weather hazards for parts of Australia this weekend.
Queensland Severe Thunderstorms
In its media release on Friday, December 9, the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) said severe thunderstorms developed over parts of southeast-central Queensland on Thursday, December 8. Gympie and its surrounding areas were impacted by hail and damaging winds downed trees. Damaging winds, large to giant hail and bursts of up to 50 millimeters occurred on Thursday and evening.
The Queensland areas that received significant hail include the following:
- Anderleigh
- Sexton
- Curra
- Mt. Kilcoy
Meanwhile, these areas in Queensland that received significant wind gust include the following:
- Gayndah
- Hughenden
- Thangool Airport
- Maryborough
Aside from Queensland, showers and thunderstorms are forecasted for South Australia, Victoria, and Tasmania on Sunday, December 11. The storm system will move to New South Wales on Monday, December 12, including the city of Sydney, which experienced around 30,000 lightning strikes dubbed as a "freak storm" earlier this week, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.
Cooler Conditions
The BoM forecasted cooler conditions from Friday, emphasizing that the thunderstorm risk will shift north into the Capricornia and central Coast areas. Severe storms with damaging wind gusts, large to giant hail, and heavy rainfall are possible in the said areas. Moreover, the state of Victoria and the region of southeast Australia are experiencing cooler-than-average conditions at this time of the year.
In other areas, the Australian weather agency said maximum temperatures are in store for Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales, and the eastern portions of South Australia where they will remain between 4 to 12 degrees Celsius below average before the weekend.
High-Pressure System
The agency adds that a high-pressure system will cause dry and mild conditions for most areas of southeast Australia except for central South Australia and western Victoria, where maximum temperatures will be slightly above average.
On Saturday, December 10, extreme to potentially catastrophic fire dangers are forecast for South Australia. However, such fire threat is expected not to be as severe as the 2019-2020 Australian bushfire season, which caused widespread dozens of human casualties and billions of animals dead, as well as historic infrastructural damage and massive evacuations.
Extreme Heat Wave
In other parts of the country, weather forecasters reveal that there is an ongoing extreme heat wave in northwest Australia and is expected to continue for several days, with temperatures that can reach up to 48 degrees Celsius, according to 9 News Australia.
In particular, the state of Western Australia could experience the said extreme heat even if a cold air mass occurred in New South Wales on Friday.
The hot air mass is building over the northwest of the country due to the clear skies and some of the of the longest daylight hours of 2022, Weatherzone explained, as cited by the Australia media outlet.
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