Sydney is experiencing its sixth wet weekend in a row, as steady showers and strong winds batter the coast.
More than 12mm of rain has been dumped around Sydney airport since 9am Saturday, with up to 30mm expected. The rainfall should ease somewhat on Sunday, but gusty winds are expected.
The wet weather in Sydney is forecasted to linger for the rest of the weekend.Credit: Dion Georgopoulos
The Bureau of Meteorology has warned that minor flooding may occur across the Cooks River at Tempe Bridge in Sydney’s inner west on Saturday and Sunday nights as tides peak, with the river rising up to 1.3 metres. A minor flood warning has also been issued for St Georges Basin at Sussex Inlet.
Strong wind warnings have also been issued for the Sydney, Hunter, Illawarra, Batemans and Eden coasts on Saturday, and for the Bryon, Coffs and Macquarie Coasts for Sunday.
Sydney has received more than double its average rainfall for June, with over 300mm recorded so far compared to its monthly average of 133mm.
It’s also been the coldest start to the winter in decades for parts of Australia’s east, thanks to a slow-moving low-pressure system that brought freezing temperatures and frosts during the week.
Wednesday was the coldest morning of the year for Sydney and Melbourne, with the mercury dropping to 6.5 and 1.4 degrees respectively. That figure could be surpassed on Thursday, with a forecast minimum temperature of 6 degrees in Sydney and a chance of frost in the west.
The shortest day of the year is behind us, with Friday marking winter solstice, and clouds are expected to clear from Monday with mostly sunny days and temperatures reaching tops of 19.
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