Stormy afternoon in north-eastern New South Wales

Residents of northeastern New South Wales can expect to see and hear showers and thunderstorms this afternoon, with the possibility of some storms becoming severe.

A surface trough is currently shifting northward near the coast of northern New South Wales. So far this morning the surface trough has produced mainly showers over north-east New South Wales, while thunderstorms have been largely confined to offshore areas. That will change this afternoon as moisture and instability continue to build over the land and thunderstorms spread over land and water.

Thunderstorms are most likely to occur from the coast to the mountain ranges, including areas such as Coffs Harbor and Lismore. There is a chance for some storms to become more severe during the afternoon and early evening, with the potential for large hail, damaging wind gusts in excess of 55 mph (90 km/h), and locally heavy rainfall, which may lead to flash flooding.

Image: Precipitation forecast for today from the ECMWF model.

Be sure to stay up to date on the latest storms Warnings how this situation develops.