Severe weather is set to hit nearly half of Australia, with damaging thunderstorms, strong winds, and flash flooding predicted.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) has issued warnings for large sections of the country, particularly in the west and southeast regions.
Miriam Bradbury, a senior meteorologist at the BoM, stated that thunderstorms could bring “damaging winds, large hail, and heavy rainfall,” leading to potential property damage and power outages.
She warned that even non-severe storms could knock down trees and power lines.
The storm risk covers vast areas, including inland South Australia, New South Wales, southeast Queensland, and major cities like Adelaide and Melbourne.
On Wednesday afternoon, “particularly dangerous” thunderstorms with winds exceeding 125 km/h were possible in parts of NSW and southeast Queensland.
Flash flooding is expected with heavy rainfall, creating dangerous driving conditions in storm-hit areas.In the west, southern inland regions of Western Australia are bracing for severe storms, driven by a cold front moving across the coast.
This front is expected to push into South Australia by Thursday, bringing strong winds and thunderstorms.
The system will move further into central Australia, eventually reaching the southeast by Friday.
Once the front moves offshore over the weekend, more settled conditions are forecast for South Australia.
Elevated fire dangers are also a concern in parts of Western Australia due to hot, dry, and windy conditions, with warnings in place for several districts.
These fire risks are expected to shift to South Australia by Thursday.
As the storms continue to move through, damaging winds and hail remain the primary threats, with flash flooding also a possibility.