Rob Sharpe, 18 Jan 2014, 11:44 PM UTC
Clear skies a thing of the past on the NSW coast
Sydney and the New South Wales coastline have experienced mostly sunny and warm days all week, but skies are turning grey and the ground wet.
Residents in eastern New South Wales have grown accustomed to the consistently dry and mostly sunny weather of late, but there is change in the air. Most of the coast will have its cloudiest week in more than a month.
Moist onshore winds are starting to develop on the South Coast today, causing a few showers to move onshore during the afternoon and evening. These winds will spread north along the coast, bringing cloud and stray showers to central parts of the coastline on Monday and Tuesday.
The northern coasts of NSW will be drier over the next few days as an inland trough producing showers and storms will only bring the odd bit of rain to the coastal areas through until Tuesday.
On Wednesday, the coastal showers should focus on the Hunter, whilst remaining mostly light. Showers and storms will continue to focus along the northeastern ranges.
On Thursday the trough in the east will deepen as onshore winds provide plenty of moisture. The Mid North Coast and Northern Rivers should experience overcast conditions for much of the day, with rain likely focusing between Yamba and Port Macquarie. Widespread rain of 10-20mm is likely, with isolated heavier falls. The Hunter should also be fairly grey and moist, while Sydney could miss out.
On Friday cloud will be prevalent for most of the state as a new trough will move into western NSW bringing moisture originating in the tropics. This will provide areas of rain to the southwest where the heatwave is currently finishing up. Coastal New South Wales will be mostly cloudy with a few showers about as the coastal trough weakens, but some areas could still see some sun.
The trough will bring a band of rain across the state with clearer skies in its wake for coastal areas. Almost the entire coastline will get at least a period of light rain from this trough that will cross north through Sydney on Saturday morning.
Australia Day will be clearer and drier for almost everywhere in the state with just the chance of a few coastal showers, most likely for the Northern Rivers or Mid North Coast.
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