Australia’s east coast is about to be soaked due to a mega weather phenomenon. Heavy rains have been forecast for New South Wales and Queensland due to a storm known as Black Nor’easter, which could envelop cities into complete darkness in the middle of the day. The weather event refers to the dark and moisture-heavy clouds, powerful rain and gale force winds that occur along the east coast of Australia. Friday and Saturday could see torrential rainfall of up to 300mm in southeast Queensland and eastern NSW. Here’s what you need to know.
Black Nor’easter set to soak Sydney
Two intense weather systems will collide to cause the storm, prompting flood warnings across the state. Sydney could receive up to 175mm of rain between Thursday and Saturday, with a downpour of up to 100mm expected on Friday alone. The extreme weather could produce a month’s worth of rain in a day’s time in certain regions.
As for where it gets its menacing moniker from, according to Weatherzone, “A Black Nor’easter gets its name from the darkness of the moisture-rich clouds coming in from the northeast, that can turn the middle of the day as dark as twilight.”
What to expect
The rain will strike Sydney on Thursday around 3pm, with the showers intensifying in the evening by 6pm. The downpour is forecast to continue until Saturday with the weather clearing up on Sunday. Wollongong, just 90 minutes of Sydney, could get around 130mm of rain on Friday and 80mm on Saturday with the Blue Mountains and the Illawarra expected to receive up to 150mm of rainfall on Saturday.
In Brisbane, showers are expected around 8am on Friday with thunderstorms and rain expected to continue until Tuesday next week.
The most extreme weather can be expected on Friday in both the cities. You’ll also want to look out for extreme winds with high swells of up to 100km/hour also on the forecast.
“Black Nor’easter” was first recorded during the 1800s. You can keep track of the latest weather warnings here or follow the Bureau of Meteorology for regular updates.