A tumultuous welcome awaits King Charles III as he touches down in Sydney, with the city bracing for wild weather just as the royal plane lands. According to the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM), a cold front sweeping across Australia’s east and south-east is set to bring severe thunderstorms, damaging winds, and giant hail to the region on Friday.
Severe Storms to Strike as King Arrives
The BoM has warned that the King and Queen Consort could be greeted by thunderstorms when their flight lands in Sydney around 7 pm local time. Miriam Bradbury from the Bureau stated that the storms may pack wind gusts up to 125 km/h and hail measuring five centimeters or more in diameter.
“The risk of thunderstorms will be widespread in the east, from southern Queensland through NSW, Victoria and into northern Tasmania,” Bradbury cautioned. She added that severe thunderstorms are possible across inland New South Wales and much of Victoria, including Melbourne, as the front moves through.
Destructive Winds and Giant Hail
In some areas, particularly the central and southwest slopes of NSW and northeast Victoria, the storms could bring destructive wind gusts exceeding 125 km/h. “We might also see giant sized hail or intense rainfall along the east coast,” said Bradbury, warning of the potential for downed trees, power outages, flash flooding, and property damage.
Wild Weather Lashes South Australia
Overnight, severe thunderstorms battered large swathes of the country, with South Australia bearing the brunt. The town of Port Pirie was hit with winds up to 137 km/h, while Roxby Downs and Tarcoola experienced gusts of 113 km/h. Mount Horrocks was drenched with 36mm of rainfall in just one hour, according to reports.
“South Australia bore the brunt of the storms overnight, with damaging winds and heavy rainfall wreaking havoc in several towns,” a local resident stated.
– Eyewitness account from South Australia
Warnings Issued as Front Moves East
As the cold front tracks east on Friday, the BoM has issued a slew of warnings for damaging winds, large hail, heavy rain, and dangerous surf across NSW, Victoria, and Tasmania. In Victoria, a severe weather warning is in place for damaging wind gusts up to 90 km/h for the central and eastern ranges, including outer northern suburbs of Melbourne.
- Severe thunderstorm warnings expected throughout Friday
- Minor river rises and possible flood warnings for Tasmania and Victoria
- Marine wind warnings current for all states and territories except ACT and NT
Conditions to Ease over Weekend
Bradbury noted that overnight the front will move off the east coast, taking the worst of the wild weather with it. “Southern Victoria, Tasmania and eastern New South Wales will see easing showers during Saturday with gusty southerly winds at times,” she said. Sunday is forecast to bring more settled conditions, with a mostly dry and partly cloudy to sunny day expected for the east and southeast of the country.
As Australians batten down the hatches against the turbulent weather, all eyes will be on how the royal visit unfolds amidst the storms. The King and Queen Consort are set to undertake a whirlwind tour of the east coast, but the tempestuous conditions threaten to put a dampener on proceedings. Only time will tell if the wild weather will steal the spotlight from the royal couple’s historic trip Down Under.
