Christmas Day weather forecast takes a turn for the worse with widespread rain expected to dump along Australia’s east coast
- Parts of the Australian east coast could receive heavy rainfall on Christmas Day
- South-east Queensland and northern NSW are expected to be worst affected
- Some places could see between 50-100mm of rainfall leading into Dec 25
Outdoor dining plans on could be ruined as an east coast low threatens to dump substantial rain along Australia’s east coast on Christmas Day.
South-east Queensland and northern NSW are expected to be worst hit, with falls of up to 100mm in some places as the La Nina weather pattern continues to exert its damp influence.
Updated modelling suggests unsettled conditions will develop from tomorrow in the interior of Queensland and New South Wales as a low pressure trough sitting inland of the Sunshine State deepens.
The result will be showers increasing on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and into Boxing Day along the east coast.
Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Byron Bay and some parts of the NSW mid north coast are expected to receive around 15mm of rain on Christmas Eve.
Updated modelling suggests will increase on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and into Boxing Day along parts of the east coast of Australia
Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Byron Bay and some parts of the NSW mid north coast are expected to receive around 15mm of rain on Christmas Eve. Source: Bureau of Meteorology
The temperature is forecast to be a humid 29C in both Brisbane and Sydney on Christmas Day, with showers likely to be more sporadic in the NSW capital.
The rainfall contrasts with Western Australia where the Christmas Day forecast is a top temperature of 42 degrees celsius.
South capitals can expect more settled Christmas Day conditions, with Melbourne reaching 21C and Adelaide, 29C.
‘Drier weather is likely for southern Australia on Christmas Day, with Melbourne and Adelaide expected to see tops in the high twenties or low thirties and Canberra the low-to-mid thirties,’ Weatherzone had forecast.
Hobart will be cloudy with 21C as the kids open Santa presents, while Darwin will be typically steamy at 33C with a thunderstorm predicted to drop up to 20mm of rain on Christmas Day.
Outdoor dining plans on could be ruined as an east coast low threatens to dump substantial rain along Australia’s east coast on Christmas Day
The Bureau of Meteorology officially declared a La Niña weather event last month, during Australia’s wettest November on record.
La Niña causes higher than usual rainfall across summer and possibly into early Autumn.
Eastern parts of Queensland, NSW and possibly eastern Victoria will be most likely to experience increased rainfall during this period.
‘La Niña is a change in ocean temperatures out in the Pacific Ocean,’ the Bureau of Meteorology’s Andrew Watkins said.
‘We get cooler waters out near South America, warmer waters near Australia, and with that shift comes a change in our weather patterns.’