Sydney weather LIVE: ‘Bombogenesis' triggers severe weather warning as rain sets in
What you need to know
By Josefine Ganko
Good morning and welcome to The Sydney Morning Herald's live coverage of today's weather, as a rapidly intensifying low-pressure system off the east coast brings heavy rain and wild winds to Sydney and around the state.
Here's what we know so far.
The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe weather warning for Sydney and much of the NSW coastline, from Moruya Heads in the South to Taree in the North, as a 'vigorous' coastal low offshore brings damaging, locally destructive winds and possible heavy rainfall.
In Sydney, heavy rain could bring six-hourly totals of 70 to 90 mm, while isolated downpours could see up to 120mm of rainfall.
Wind gusts are already reaching up to 50km/h, with speeds between 60-70km/h expected to set in on Tuesday afternoon, with peak gusts of up to 110km/h
Destructive wind gusts in excess of 125km/h could hit exposed coastal areas from Bondi to Wollongong from later today.
Flash flooding is possible for the coastal fringe south of Seal Rocks on the Mid North Coast and north of Ulladulla on the South Coast.
NSW SES deputy commissioner Debbie Platz advised households to secure outdoor furniture, clear gutters, move vehicles away from large trees and download the Hazards Near Me app to stay up to date.
The rapid intensification of the low into a fierce weather system, dubbed 'bombogenesis' by meteorologists, is a rare event most often seen during winter. You can read more about the science of the phenomenon here.
The forecast movement of the coastal low would see damaging winds and heavy rain persist into Wednesday.
6.52am
'Be very vigilant and very prepared': SES advice as wild weather arrives
By Angus Dalton
The SES has pre-deployed 395 volunteers across the coast and positioned high-clearance vehicles to Kiama, Albury, Hawkesbury, Maitland and Dungog, as NSW braces for the latest wild weather event.
Emergency vehicles and helicopters were also deployed to Taree, which is still reeling from May's flood disaster.
'This is a time for our communities across NSW to be very vigilant and very prepared. We're looking at thunderstorms, rain, strong winds, coastal erosion and damaging surf,' SES deputy commissioner Debbie Platz said.
Platz urged people to download the Hazards Near Me app, secure outdoor furniture and trampolines, clear gutters and move vehicles away from large trees.
The science behind the 'bombogenesis' phenomenon
By Angus Dalton
The rapid intensification of the low into a fierce weather system, dubbed 'bombogenesis' by meteorologists, is a rare event most often seen during winter.
'Over the next 24 hours or so, we will see the low form quite deep, quickly, and the central pressure dropping significantly, somewhere in the order of 20 to 30 hectopascals,' the bureau's Daniel Hayes said on Monday.
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That plunge in pressure easily meets the threshold for an east coast low, but another low-pressure system stewing further out to sea will interact with the coastal system, potentially siphoning off energy and reducing the potential for the wide-scale impacts that would define an east coast low.
Forecasting the interaction between the two low-pressure systems is tricky.
'The two can just dance around each other and both survive but pull energy out each other. Or they could merge, and you eventually get one system that's stronger,' Hayes said.
The two lows could undergo the Fujiwhara effect, where two systems rotate around each other, according to Weatherwatch meteorologist Anthony Cornelius. That would further complicate forecasting and may push the bad weather into three-day event, he said.
6.26am
What you need to know
By Josefine Ganko
Good morning and welcome to The Sydney Morning Herald's live coverage of today's weather, as a rapidly intensifying low-pressure system off the east coast brings heavy rain and wild winds to Sydney and around the state.
Here's what we know so far.
The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe weather warning for Sydney and much of the NSW coastline, from Moruya Heads in the South to Taree in the North, as a 'vigorous' coastal low offshore brings damaging, locally destructive winds and possible heavy rainfall.
In Sydney, heavy rain could bring six-hourly totals of 70 to 90 mm, while isolated downpours could see up to 120mm of rainfall.
Wind gusts are already reaching up to 50km/h, with speeds between 60-70km/h expected to set in on Tuesday afternoon, with peak gusts of up to 110km/h
Destructive wind gusts in excess of 125km/h could hit exposed coastal areas from Bondi to Wollongong from later today.
Flash flooding is possible for the coastal fringe south of Seal Rocks on the Mid North Coast and north of Ulladulla on the South Coast.
NSW SES deputy commissioner Debbie Platz advised households to secure outdoor furniture, clear gutters, move vehicles away from large trees and download the Hazards Near Me app to stay up to date.
The rapid intensification of the low into a fierce weather system, dubbed 'bombogenesis' by meteorologists, is a rare event most often seen during winter. You can read more about the science of the phenomenon here.
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The Advertiser
16 minutes ago
- The Advertiser
Rain, winds ease in the Hunter as low pressure system moves on
After being hammered by peak gusts of up to 110 kmh, easing conditions will hopefully bring some respite to the Hunter Region. A complex low-pressure system that brought days of intense rain and wild winds along the NSW east coast, was likely to move further east into the Tasman sea by Thursday morning, July 3. According to the Bureau of Meteorology, damaging winds averaging 60 to 70 kmh, peaking at 100kmh were still possible late on Wednesday July 2 on the Hunter coastline. In the 24 hours to Wednesday 3.30pm, Nobbys weather station recorded 20.2 millimetres while Williamtown recorded 26.4 millimetres. Newcastle's Thursday forecast was predicting a maximum of 18 degrees with an 80 per cent chance of one to 6 millimetres of rain with Friday July 4 dropping to 10 per cent chance of rain. A coastal hazard and hazardous surf warning for large and powerful surf conditions and coastal erosion was forecast into Thursday for the Hunter coast. Northern zone public information officer Steven Lawrence said the NSW State Emergency Service (SES) responded to 432 incidents in the greater Hunter area during the weather event as of July 2 at 10am. The Central Coast was hit harder, however, with 333 incidents in Gosford and 217 incidents in Wyong. The majority of call-outs were from fallen trees and, to a lesser extent, leaking roofs, Mr Lawrence said. Port Stephens SES received 50 calls for assistance since the low-pressure system began, ranging from minor flooding to requests for sandbags and trees down on houses. The local unit said while the rain and wind could hang around this evening, there were sandbagging points in Raymond Terrace and Medowie. Cooranbong and Dora Creek in Lake Macquarie were initially put on flood watch on Tuesday but have been downgraded to monitor conditions as rainfall was expected to ease on Thursday. The Barrington Tops conservation group, Aussie Ark, said they were hammered by the "cyclone bomb" that swept through after only just starting to rebuild from May's devastation. "The team is now facing fresh destruction as torrential rain, cyclonic winds, and unpredictable snowfall leave the sanctuary battered once again," they said. Fifteen trees came down across the property, ripping through fences, blocking access tracks while power cut out at several facilities. Out of hundreds of animals on site, only two Tasmanian Devils were unaccounted for, although the organisation believed they were likely sheltering in their dens. "We've only just begun to recover from the last disaster, and now we're picking up the pieces all over again," managing director Tim Faulkner said. Across the state, the SES responded to 3400 incidents. NSW SES Assistant Commissioner Nicole Hogan said the complex low-pressure system was currently shifting off the south coast, bringing risk of flash and riverine flooding around Illawarra and Shoalhaven. "Volunteers have been kept busy overnight and into today as strong wind gusts brought down trees, powerlines and damaged properties," Ms Hogan said. "We have more than 2,000 members responding to incidents, along with emergency service partners. An additional crew from ACT SES is deploying to assist in the area later today," she said. "We urge everyone to stay well clear of fallen trees and powerlines as we work to clean up the damage." The Insurance Council of Australia recorded almost $2 billion in flood, cyclone and rain insurance in six months. The Mid North Coast and the Hunter Region claims from the May floods had numbered 11,500, reaching almost $200 million, they said. After being hammered by peak gusts of up to 110 kmh, easing conditions will hopefully bring some respite to the Hunter Region. A complex low-pressure system that brought days of intense rain and wild winds along the NSW east coast, was likely to move further east into the Tasman sea by Thursday morning, July 3. According to the Bureau of Meteorology, damaging winds averaging 60 to 70 kmh, peaking at 100kmh were still possible late on Wednesday July 2 on the Hunter coastline. In the 24 hours to Wednesday 3.30pm, Nobbys weather station recorded 20.2 millimetres while Williamtown recorded 26.4 millimetres. Newcastle's Thursday forecast was predicting a maximum of 18 degrees with an 80 per cent chance of one to 6 millimetres of rain with Friday July 4 dropping to 10 per cent chance of rain. A coastal hazard and hazardous surf warning for large and powerful surf conditions and coastal erosion was forecast into Thursday for the Hunter coast. Northern zone public information officer Steven Lawrence said the NSW State Emergency Service (SES) responded to 432 incidents in the greater Hunter area during the weather event as of July 2 at 10am. The Central Coast was hit harder, however, with 333 incidents in Gosford and 217 incidents in Wyong. The majority of call-outs were from fallen trees and, to a lesser extent, leaking roofs, Mr Lawrence said. Port Stephens SES received 50 calls for assistance since the low-pressure system began, ranging from minor flooding to requests for sandbags and trees down on houses. The local unit said while the rain and wind could hang around this evening, there were sandbagging points in Raymond Terrace and Medowie. Cooranbong and Dora Creek in Lake Macquarie were initially put on flood watch on Tuesday but have been downgraded to monitor conditions as rainfall was expected to ease on Thursday. The Barrington Tops conservation group, Aussie Ark, said they were hammered by the "cyclone bomb" that swept through after only just starting to rebuild from May's devastation. "The team is now facing fresh destruction as torrential rain, cyclonic winds, and unpredictable snowfall leave the sanctuary battered once again," they said. Fifteen trees came down across the property, ripping through fences, blocking access tracks while power cut out at several facilities. Out of hundreds of animals on site, only two Tasmanian Devils were unaccounted for, although the organisation believed they were likely sheltering in their dens. "We've only just begun to recover from the last disaster, and now we're picking up the pieces all over again," managing director Tim Faulkner said. Across the state, the SES responded to 3400 incidents. NSW SES Assistant Commissioner Nicole Hogan said the complex low-pressure system was currently shifting off the south coast, bringing risk of flash and riverine flooding around Illawarra and Shoalhaven. "Volunteers have been kept busy overnight and into today as strong wind gusts brought down trees, powerlines and damaged properties," Ms Hogan said. "We have more than 2,000 members responding to incidents, along with emergency service partners. An additional crew from ACT SES is deploying to assist in the area later today," she said. "We urge everyone to stay well clear of fallen trees and powerlines as we work to clean up the damage." The Insurance Council of Australia recorded almost $2 billion in flood, cyclone and rain insurance in six months. The Mid North Coast and the Hunter Region claims from the May floods had numbered 11,500, reaching almost $200 million, they said. After being hammered by peak gusts of up to 110 kmh, easing conditions will hopefully bring some respite to the Hunter Region. A complex low-pressure system that brought days of intense rain and wild winds along the NSW east coast, was likely to move further east into the Tasman sea by Thursday morning, July 3. According to the Bureau of Meteorology, damaging winds averaging 60 to 70 kmh, peaking at 100kmh were still possible late on Wednesday July 2 on the Hunter coastline. In the 24 hours to Wednesday 3.30pm, Nobbys weather station recorded 20.2 millimetres while Williamtown recorded 26.4 millimetres. Newcastle's Thursday forecast was predicting a maximum of 18 degrees with an 80 per cent chance of one to 6 millimetres of rain with Friday July 4 dropping to 10 per cent chance of rain. A coastal hazard and hazardous surf warning for large and powerful surf conditions and coastal erosion was forecast into Thursday for the Hunter coast. Northern zone public information officer Steven Lawrence said the NSW State Emergency Service (SES) responded to 432 incidents in the greater Hunter area during the weather event as of July 2 at 10am. The Central Coast was hit harder, however, with 333 incidents in Gosford and 217 incidents in Wyong. The majority of call-outs were from fallen trees and, to a lesser extent, leaking roofs, Mr Lawrence said. Port Stephens SES received 50 calls for assistance since the low-pressure system began, ranging from minor flooding to requests for sandbags and trees down on houses. The local unit said while the rain and wind could hang around this evening, there were sandbagging points in Raymond Terrace and Medowie. Cooranbong and Dora Creek in Lake Macquarie were initially put on flood watch on Tuesday but have been downgraded to monitor conditions as rainfall was expected to ease on Thursday. The Barrington Tops conservation group, Aussie Ark, said they were hammered by the "cyclone bomb" that swept through after only just starting to rebuild from May's devastation. "The team is now facing fresh destruction as torrential rain, cyclonic winds, and unpredictable snowfall leave the sanctuary battered once again," they said. Fifteen trees came down across the property, ripping through fences, blocking access tracks while power cut out at several facilities. Out of hundreds of animals on site, only two Tasmanian Devils were unaccounted for, although the organisation believed they were likely sheltering in their dens. "We've only just begun to recover from the last disaster, and now we're picking up the pieces all over again," managing director Tim Faulkner said. Across the state, the SES responded to 3400 incidents. NSW SES Assistant Commissioner Nicole Hogan said the complex low-pressure system was currently shifting off the south coast, bringing risk of flash and riverine flooding around Illawarra and Shoalhaven. "Volunteers have been kept busy overnight and into today as strong wind gusts brought down trees, powerlines and damaged properties," Ms Hogan said. "We have more than 2,000 members responding to incidents, along with emergency service partners. An additional crew from ACT SES is deploying to assist in the area later today," she said. "We urge everyone to stay well clear of fallen trees and powerlines as we work to clean up the damage." The Insurance Council of Australia recorded almost $2 billion in flood, cyclone and rain insurance in six months. The Mid North Coast and the Hunter Region claims from the May floods had numbered 11,500, reaching almost $200 million, they said. After being hammered by peak gusts of up to 110 kmh, easing conditions will hopefully bring some respite to the Hunter Region. A complex low-pressure system that brought days of intense rain and wild winds along the NSW east coast, was likely to move further east into the Tasman sea by Thursday morning, July 3. According to the Bureau of Meteorology, damaging winds averaging 60 to 70 kmh, peaking at 100kmh were still possible late on Wednesday July 2 on the Hunter coastline. In the 24 hours to Wednesday 3.30pm, Nobbys weather station recorded 20.2 millimetres while Williamtown recorded 26.4 millimetres. Newcastle's Thursday forecast was predicting a maximum of 18 degrees with an 80 per cent chance of one to 6 millimetres of rain with Friday July 4 dropping to 10 per cent chance of rain. A coastal hazard and hazardous surf warning for large and powerful surf conditions and coastal erosion was forecast into Thursday for the Hunter coast. Northern zone public information officer Steven Lawrence said the NSW State Emergency Service (SES) responded to 432 incidents in the greater Hunter area during the weather event as of July 2 at 10am. The Central Coast was hit harder, however, with 333 incidents in Gosford and 217 incidents in Wyong. The majority of call-outs were from fallen trees and, to a lesser extent, leaking roofs, Mr Lawrence said. Port Stephens SES received 50 calls for assistance since the low-pressure system began, ranging from minor flooding to requests for sandbags and trees down on houses. The local unit said while the rain and wind could hang around this evening, there were sandbagging points in Raymond Terrace and Medowie. Cooranbong and Dora Creek in Lake Macquarie were initially put on flood watch on Tuesday but have been downgraded to monitor conditions as rainfall was expected to ease on Thursday. The Barrington Tops conservation group, Aussie Ark, said they were hammered by the "cyclone bomb" that swept through after only just starting to rebuild from May's devastation. "The team is now facing fresh destruction as torrential rain, cyclonic winds, and unpredictable snowfall leave the sanctuary battered once again," they said. Fifteen trees came down across the property, ripping through fences, blocking access tracks while power cut out at several facilities. Out of hundreds of animals on site, only two Tasmanian Devils were unaccounted for, although the organisation believed they were likely sheltering in their dens. "We've only just begun to recover from the last disaster, and now we're picking up the pieces all over again," managing director Tim Faulkner said. Across the state, the SES responded to 3400 incidents. NSW SES Assistant Commissioner Nicole Hogan said the complex low-pressure system was currently shifting off the south coast, bringing risk of flash and riverine flooding around Illawarra and Shoalhaven. "Volunteers have been kept busy overnight and into today as strong wind gusts brought down trees, powerlines and damaged properties," Ms Hogan said. "We have more than 2,000 members responding to incidents, along with emergency service partners. An additional crew from ACT SES is deploying to assist in the area later today," she said. "We urge everyone to stay well clear of fallen trees and powerlines as we work to clean up the damage." The Insurance Council of Australia recorded almost $2 billion in flood, cyclone and rain insurance in six months. The Mid North Coast and the Hunter Region claims from the May floods had numbered 11,500, reaching almost $200 million, they said.
Mercury
4 hours ago
- Mercury
NSW weather: More Aussies ordered to prepare to evacuate
Areas near Victoria could be in the firing line as the destructive 'bomb cyclone' continues to batter NSW, as thousands of homes and businesses remain in the dark. Heavy rainfall, flash flooding and damaging winds of up to 125km/h as a result of the coastal low weather system and is set to intensify on Wednesday. Severe weather warnings are in place from as far north as Coffs Harbour to the South Coast. Commuters in affected regions have been urged to 'avoid non-essential travel across the rail network'. NSW SES Deputy Commissioner Debbie Platz said that 'the biggest risk area for us today, as we move forward with the intense rainfall' is on the state's South Coast, particularly around Sussex Inlet, Burrill Lake and Shoalhaven. 'It has been a very wild night … and we are not out of the woods yet,' she told Today. 'Where we're most concerned now is the southern flank of this system, which is really impacting the Illawarra region right down to Bega. We do expect that the rain will intensify, as will the wind gusts. But it doesn't mean that places like Sydney are out of the woods either.' Follow on for live updates Originally published as NSW weather live: More Aussies prepare to evacuate, Major Sydney dam expected to spill
West Australian
4 hours ago
- West Australian
WA weather warning: Severe thunderstorms and heavy rainfall set to hit Busselton and Dunsborough
West Aussies are being urged to prepare for flash flooding as severe thunderstorms are forecast to hit the South West of the State this evening. The Bureau of Meteorology have issued a severe thunderstorm warning and have forecast that heavy rain will develop in the next several hours. 'A slow-moving trough is in place over the far southwest of WA embedded in a moist and unstable airmass ahead of a cold front moving towards the coast,' the alert stated. 'This is leading to the development of some slow moving thunderstorm clusters with a risk of heavy rainfall.' The main locations in WA that will be affected are likely to be Busselton and Dunsborough. The Department of Fire and Emergency Services advises that people who live in the areas where the storm is set to hit should take precautions to protect themselves from the potential impacts of the severe weather: The weather warning is not in place for Perth metropolitan area but the forecast predicts a high chance of showers and the chance of a thunderstorm for the rest of the evening in Perth. More information can be found at the Bureau of Meteorology's website .
