Tristan Meyers, 02 Sep 2015, 5:36 AM UTC
Another ECL for NSW
It's the weather phrase that makes the coastal dwellers of New South Wales shudder - East Coast Low. And we look to be in for another one tomorrow.
Currently, a low pressure system is spinning away in the Bight, but this system and the associated trough will move over New South Wales today. Thundery showers and rain are currently forming across the state, but we can expect the wet stuff to reach the coast late this evening.
Tomorrow the low looks to deepen offshore, close to the Illawarra coast. This mean that areas just recovering from floods like Kiama could see more rain. Fortunately, the rainfall totals don't look as higher as the previous East Coast Low as the system will move away faster. Widespread totals of 10-15mm are likely along the coast extending from northern parts of the Batemans Coast to the Hunter Coast, with some parts seeing up to 30mm.
Dams that are sitting at 100% capacity in the Illawarra region, such as Avon, Nepean and Tallowa, may experience some minor flooding. Sydney's Warragamba Dam is currently at 99.6% full, but should only receive 5-10mm directly, so flooding around Penrith due to these showers is only a slight risk.
We also can expect winds to strengthen along the coast throughout tomorrow to around a sustained southwesterly 50 km/h, with gusts in excess of 80 km/h. The strongest of these winds will be confined to the coastal fringe.
The system is expected to move further east fairly quickly, guided by an upper trough. Rainfall rates and winds should all but drop off entirely by Friday evening. A high pressure ridge will then build across the state, bringing a mostly sunny weekend for New South Wales and much of the east.
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