Sydney and much of eastern NSW are set for a wet and stormy weekend, with showers, thunderstorms and heavy bursts of rain likely across the region. The heaviest falls are expected on Sunday, when the risk of flash flooding will be highest.

A lingering trough will generate showers and thunderstorms on Saturday, with falls of around 30-50mm possible across parts of the east, including Sydney. Locally heavier totals above 50mm may occur in thunderstorms.

The main concern is expected to develop on Sunday as a trough and front move over the Tasman Sea, with an associated upper disturbance and gusty southerly change pushing north along the NSW coast. This setup is expected to maintain unsettled conditions and bring a burst of heavier showers and a few isolated thunderstorms from the Illawarra through Sydney and up to the Central Coast and Newcastle. Some models indicate the potential for very heavy localised falls on Sunday, with pockets possibly exceeding 150mm in a day and 60-80+mm in six hours along the coast and nearby inland. This could lead to localised flash flooding across parts of the Illawarra, Sydney metropolitan, Central Coast and Newcastle regions, with southerly wind gusts of 60-70km/h also possible along exposed coastal headlands.

Further north, northeast NSW could also see heavy rainfall on Sunday if a trough extends south from Queensland into the region. This setup could bring falls in excess of 60-80 mm in parts of the Northern Rivers and adjacent ranges.

Image: Forecast accumulated rain to 5pm AEDT on Sunday, March 8, 2026, according to the Acc-C model. Weatherzone. 

Motorists should take extra care on the roads and avoid driving through floodwaters as conditions may change rapidly in areas affected by heavy downpours.