Huge storm will batter Australia's east coast for another THREE days as cities are pummeled with wild weather and warnings are issued for giant hail, flash flooding and deadly winds
The damaging storm battering Australia's east coast will continue for another three days - bringing large hail, wind gusts of more than 100km/h and the risk of flash flooding.
Conditions in most of New South Wales are expected to ease from Tuesday after the state was lashed with heavy rainfall, gale-force winds, cold temperatures and hazardous surf conditions on Monday.
Gosford on the NSW Central Coast received 128mm of rain in 24 hours, while Wallis Lake on the mid-north coast was soaked by 248mm in three hours on Monday afternoon.
The focus of the wild weather will shift to Queensland as the Bureau of Meteorology warns dangerous thunderstorms could develop across south-eastern parts of the state on Tuesday.
Pictured in purple are severe wind gusts forecast for the NSW east coast. Hail wider than 5cm, heavy rainfall and gusts in excess of 100km/h are forecast as likely for Brisbane, Rockhampton in central Queensland and the Gold Coast on Tuesday
A fallen tree in Queensland as wild weather battered the Australian east coast. The wild weather will continue for another three days, meteorologists have warned
Hail wider than 5cm, heavy rainfall and wind gusts in excess of 100km/h are forecast as likely for Brisbane, Rockhampton in central Queensland and the Gold Coast.
The effects of a low pressure coastal trough will extend into northern NSW on Wednesday with the threat of thunderstorms in Armadale, Coffs Harbour and Port Macquarie.
BOM meteorologist Jonathan How said the thunderstorm threat for south-east Queensland would extend into Thursday.
Cool temperatures and cloudy weather will continue in southern NSW, with a top of about 20C for Sydney, but storms are expected to return on Wednesday.
A hazardous surf warning has also been issued on Tuesday for the Hunter, Sydney and Illawarra coastline.
Melbourne meanwhile will be partly cloudy on Tuesday and Wednesday, although showers are then forecast for the next three days with the chance for both cloud and fog.
Storm damage in Queensland on Sunday. The BOM said the thunderstorm threat for south-east Queensland would extend into Thursday
Meteorologists have said the conditions are a result of La Nina climate cycle which will make the upcoming summer months hotter and wetter than usual.
The NSW State Emergency Service's Hunter region units received 362 calls for help on Monday, and spent the day rescuing horses, patching up tree damage and repairing leaky roofs.
Sydney also copped a deluge with St Ives receiving 98mm of rain in 24 hours.
'One that's really noteworthy, that at first we were a little bit sceptical of because of just how intense the rainfall was, is at Wallis Lakes (near Forster),' BOM meteorologist David Wilkie said.
Singleton SES members in the NSW Hunter Valley were called out after reports of severe storm damage (pictured, a caravan is destroyed after wind lifted off several roofs in the park)
'They received 248mm between 1pm and 4pm and 124mm in an hour.'
Temperatures have dropped to around 15 degrees, down about eight degrees for this time of year, due to a cold front which saw almost 10 centimetres of snowfall in the alps.
'We do have some hazardous conditions at the moment for the beaches with the strong southeasterly winds whipping up a bigger southeasterly swell up to around four, potentially five metres,' BOM spokeswoman Rebecca Kamitakahara told ABC radio on Monday.
A road and park in Tumbarumba is pictured completely underwater after flash flooding on Sunday
Pictured: A car in Brisbane that was crushed by a falling tree amid damaging winds and heavy rain
Pictured: A trampoline in south-east Queensland that wrapped around a power pole in strong winds
Hail the size of tennis balls were seen in Brisbane's western and southern suburbs
Tamworth and Nundle, south-west of Grafton in northern NSW, saw about 60mm of rain on Sunday with an evacuation at a campsite due to flash flooding (regional NSW pictured)
'The good news is later in the week we will start to see a little more sunshine... with those temperatures coming back up to what we'd normally expect at this time of year.'
But the rain has brought relief for farmers across the western ranges and areas west and southwest and parts of the central west.
'They're not seeing as quite as high rainfall totals as what we're getting on the coast but they are still seeing some more steady, persistent rain on top of what they saw on the weekend,' Ms Kamitakahara said.
About 30,000 homes across Brisbane, Ipswich, Logan and Redland were left without power on Sunday as the region was hit with 78,000 lightening strikes and hail the size of tennis balls.
The south-east Queensland region also had 78,000 lightening strikes on Sunday afternoon
THE WEATHER IN YOUR CITY
SYDNEY
Tuesday: Max 20. A few showers
Wednesday: Min 13. Max 21. Showers
Thursday: Min 15. Max 21. Shower
Friday: Min 14. Max 23. Shower. Possible late storm
MELBOURNE
Tuesday: Max 18. Partly cloudy
Wednesday: Min 10. Max 19. Partly cloudy
Thursday: Min 11. Max 19. Shower or two
Friday: Min 12. Max 18. Shower or two
CANBERRA
Tuesday: Max 15. Shower or two easing
Wednesday: Min 7. Max 19. Shower or two
Thursday: Min 8. Max 20. Shower or two
Friday: Min 9. Max 21. Shower or two. Possible storm
DARWIN
Tuesday: Max 33. Shower or two. Storm likely
Wednesday: Min 25. Max 32. Showers
Thursday: Min 25. Max 33. Showers
Friday: Min 25. Max 33. Showers
BRISBANE
Tuesday: Max 25. Showers. Storm likely
Wednesday: Min 18. Max 27. Showers. Storm likely
Thursday: Min 18. Max 31. Sunny
Friday: Min 16. Max 31. Sunny
ADELAIDE
Tuesday: Max 21. Partly Cloudy
Wednesday: Min 9. Max 21. Sunny
Thursday: Min 11. Max 21. Shower or two
Friday: Min 11. Max 20. Shower or two
PERTH
Tuesday: Max 24. Partly cloudy
Wednesday: Min 14. Max 25. Partly cloudy
Thursday: Min 13. Max 32. Sunny
Friday: Min 18. Max 36. Sunny
HOBART
Tuesday: Max 14. Light shower or two
Wednesday: Min 9. Max 15. Shower or two
Thursday: Min 8. Max 17. Showers
Friday: Min 10. Max 16. Showers
Source: Bureau of Meteorology