Australia’s east coast can expect a soggy weekend, as it’s hit by not one, but two significant storms. Queensland and the Northern Territory will bear the brunt of it, with Cyclone Owen bringing strong winds, thunderstorms and heavy rainfall over the coming days. It’s been deemed a “zombie storm”, as it briefly died off after forming in the Coral Sea off northern Queensland last week, before coming back to life (re-intensifying) shortly after.
Meteorologists haven’t yet concluded whether the storm will remain offshore or hit Queensland, which would bring even more dangerous conditions. A spokesperson for the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) told Broadsheet the cyclone will likely bring heavy rains to the north coast of NSW early next week as it moves southward.
The other weather event we can expect this weekend is a low-pressure system, which is forming over Victoria, and will shift north to NSW and south to Tassie, “broadly affecting south-eastern Australia”, according to the BOM spokesperson. Cloud bands from Owen and the low-pressure system may meet, causing conditions conducive to thunderstorms along much of the east coast.
Victorians will experience heavy rainfall from tomorrow, some heavy falls and thunder is expected, most likely during the late morning and early afternoon.
Thursday will be the wettest day for NSW. Friday will see slightly less heavy rain, but will still be stormy. And over the weekend through to Monday, showers and potentially also storms are expected. The ranges and western slopes of NSW will be the hardest-hit areas of the state.
It’s no zombie apocalypse, but it might just be worth staying indoors.
