Spring weather in the eastern states is expected to be turbulent due to ongoing storms.

Today, the northern regions of New South Wales and southern Queensland will continue to enjoy spring-like weather. However, a cold front is quickly approaching, bringing with it a higher chance of thunderstorms.

Thanks to the northerly winds, yesterday was a pleasantly mild day, with temperatures ranging four to seven degrees above the average for July in both states. In fact, Sydney reached a maximum temperature of 22.5 degrees at 1pm, which is six degrees warmer than the usual for this time of year. It was the warmest day in two months for the city.

As the weather has been relatively calm, fire authorities in both NSW and Queensland have been utilizing the opportunity to conduct hazard-reduction burns. However, there have been a few isolated lightning strikes in NSW and north-east Victoria as the cold front moves through. More lightning is expected today as well.

By 2 pm yesterday, there had already been 308 lightning strikes recorded across the eastern states, with the most active cell located near the city of Wagga Wagga in NSW. As the trough continues to move through, there could be even more instability and scattered thunderstorms in northern NSW and southern Queensland as warm temperatures mix with humidity from the Coral Sea.

Some forecast models are predicting that these conditions could result in large hail and damaging wind gusts. It's unusual to see these types of storms in the middle of winter, but they do occur every few years. Forecasters are already suggesting that this year's thunderstorm season could be more active than usual in eastern Australia, due to a combination of warm ocean temperatures near Australia and cold upper air and strong fronts over Antarctica.

For now, the mild weather is expected to continue until Sunday when a cold front is forecasted to cross into NSW, bringing a drop in temperatures. And don't forget, you can catch all the excitement of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 live and free on Channel 9 and 9Now, with every event available ad-free and in 4K on Stan Sport.

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