Jacobus Cronje, 22 Feb 2017, 12:55 AM UTC
Weekend rainfall on the cards for hot and dry inland NSW
With a few days to go until the official end to the summer season, it looks like parts of New South Wales could still see the odd drop of rain.
With a relatively weak and dry cool change in the south today leading to elevated fire danger conditions over SA, VIC and the Far Western and Southern Riverina fire districts of NSW, temperatures are set to climb in coming days.
Daytime temperatures between 38 and 41 degrees under clear skies are expected north of about Condobolin on Thursday and on Friday, limited to the low thirties further south. Large parts of the state could see evening and early morning temperatures remaining above 20 degrees. While no heat wave conditions have been forecast at this stage, it certainly is much warmer than earlier this week.
The good news is that hot and dry weather could give way to thunderstorms and a final dousing of rainfall before season's end.
A deepening surface trough over the central parts of the state is set to broaden on Saturday, when afternoon thunderstorms are expected to the east of a line between Deniliquin in the Riverina and Bourke in the Upper Western, delivering 5-10mm across this area.
As the trough contracts to the north on Sunday, thunderstorms should become isolated to the north of Griffith as well as east of the ranges, with heavy falls and possibly severe thunderstorms expected in places like Goodooga and Lightning Ridge, which could see another 15-20mm fall before the end of the weekend.
Rainfall should contract to the east of the ranges from Monday afternoon, with a few isolated thunderstorms expected to linger over the North West Slopes and Plains into Tuesday.
Temperatures after the rains should also be cooler than in recent days, with days on Monday and Tuesday in the mid thirties expected over the northern parts of the state, inching towards the 30-degree mark south of about Griffith.
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