Yorke Island

Yorke Island Weather

The first major cold front of the year is bringing damaging and destructive winds to parts of southeastern Australia as a powerful low moves in from over the Bight.
The satellite loop below shows a deep low pressure system over the Great Australian Bight, and the associated cold front sweeping into South Australia on Monday morning.
<img src="https://news-images.weatherzone.com.au/b2bnews/SA_Front_26052025_WZ.gif" alt="Image: satellite loop showing the deep and powerful low and cold front moving into South Australia this morning on Monday, May 26." width="960" height="540" />
Image: satellite loop showing the deep and powerful low and cold front moving into South Australia this morning on Monday, May 26. 
A weaker front crossed the southeast over the weekend, bringing wind gusts exceeding 80-90 km/h, with the strongest gusts in each state reaching:
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559683&quot;:0,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">119 km/h at Mount William, Victoria, on Sunday evening</li>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559683&quot;:0,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">113 km/h at Neptune Island, SA, on Saturday and Sunday evenings</li>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559683&quot;:0,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">111km/h at Thredbo, NSW, on Saturday evening</li>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559683&quot;:0,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">109 km/h at King Island, Tasmania, on Saturday evening</li>
</ul>
But conditions are getting worse as the most powerful cold front since last year bears down on South Australia this Monday morning. 
Surface wind speeds of 70-80 km/h are expected from the west to northwest on Monday. However, winds associated with the low and front are exceeding 120-130 km/h just a few hundred metres above the surface. These strong winds aloft will easily mix down to the surface, resulting in wind gusts exceeding 110-120 km/h across coastal and exposed parts of South Australia. As of 9:30am ACST, notable wind gusts recorded on Monday, May 26, include:
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559683&quot;:0,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">126 km/h at Neptune Island, SA. The strongest gust since July last year.</li>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559683&quot;:0,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">96 km/h at Cape Borda, SA. The strongest gust since December 2023.</li>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559683&quot;:0,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">89 km/h at Kingscote Ap, SA. The strongest gust since November 2018.</li>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559683&quot;:0,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">122 km/h at Mount William, Victoria. The strongest gust since July last year.</li>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559683&quot;:0,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">104 km/h at Mount Buller, Victoria.</li>
</ul>
<img src="https://news-images.weatherzone.com.au/b2bnews/SA_WindGust_26052025_WZ.png" alt="Image: forecast wind gusts across South Australia at 12:30 ASCT on Monday, May 26." width="1080" height="1080" />
Image: forecast wind gusts across South Australia at 12:30 ASCT on Monday, May 26.
100-110 km/h northwesterly wind gusts will also extend into coastal and elevated parts of Victoria as well on Monday, reaching southern and eastern NSW on Tuesday. Gusty south-to-southwesterly winds behind the front will reach 90 km/h over Tasmania later on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Exceptionally dry soil moisture content across parts of South Australia and western Victoria have resulted from <a href="https://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/south-australias-desperately-dry-peninsulas/1890584">drought conditions over the past 1-2 years</a>. As a result, tree roots across the region are weakened or dead. Combined with the flaky dry grounds surrounding them and lack of powerful cold fronts, the strong winds bring an increased risk of trees and branches falling across the region. As of 9:30am ACST, South Australia Power Networks was reporting <a href="https://outage.apps.sapowernetworks.com.au/OutageReport/OutageMap">nearly 3,000 customers without power</a>, with more outages to come.
<img src="https://news-images.weatherzone.com.au/b2bnews/20250506.drought2.col.jpeg" alt="Image: Lowest on record rainfall deficiencies across much of South Australia&rsquo;s agricultural belt and western Victoria from February 2024 to April 2025. Source:&nbsp;BoM." width="2498" height="1717" />
Image: Lowest on record rainfall deficiencies across much of South Australia&rsquo;s agricultural belt and western Victoria from February 2024 to April 2025. Source:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/drought/#tabs=Rainfall-deficiencies">BoM</a>.
While southern Australia is phenomenally dry, the inverse over eastern Australia with <a href="https://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/historic-flooding-as-eastern-nsw-deluge-continues/1890599">recent historical flooding</a> will also bring the risk of trees falling under the strong winds with muddy and loose soil.
Along with the risk of down powerlines and lightning strikes hitting the energy grid, here are seven other ways the strong winds and <a href="https://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/how-wild-weather-could-lead-to-power-outages-this-week/1890610">wild weather over the coming days could lead to power outages over southeastern Australia</a>.
Conditions will ease as high pressure strengthens over South Australia on Tuesday afternoon, and on Wednesday over Victoria, Tasmania and inland NSW, with gusty winds persisting into early Thursday for coastal NSW as the low moves east into the Tasman Sea.
&nbsp;


The first major cold front of the year is bringing damaging and destructive winds to parts of southeastern Australia as a powerful low moves in from over the Bight.


The satellite loop below shows a deep low pressure system over the Great Australian Bight, and the associated cold front sweeping into South Australia on Monday morning.





Image: satellite loop showing the deep and powerful low and cold front moving into South Australia this morning on Monday, May 26. 


A weaker front crossed the southeast over the weekend, bringing wind gusts exceeding 80-90 km/h, with the strongest gusts in each state reaching:




119 km/h at Mount William, Victoria, on Sunday evening


113 km/h at Neptune Island, SA, on Saturday and Sunday evenings


111km/h at Thredbo, NSW, on Saturday evening


109 km/h at King Island, Tasmania, on Saturday evening




But conditions are getting worse as the most powerful cold front since last year bears down on South Australia this Monday morning. 


Surface wind speeds of 70-80 km/h are expected from the west to northwest on Monday. However, winds associated with the low and front are exceeding 120-130 km/h just a few hundred metres above the surface. These strong winds aloft will easily mix down to the surface, resulting in wind gusts exceeding 110-120 km/h across coastal and exposed parts of South Australia. As of 9:30am ACST, notable wind gusts recorded on Monday, May 26, include:




126 km/h at Neptune Island, SA. The strongest gust since July last year.


96 km/h at Cape Borda, SA. The strongest gust since December 2023.


89 km/h at Kingscote Ap, SA. The strongest gust since November 2018.


122 km/h at Mount William, Victoria. The strongest gust since July last year.


104 km/h at Mount Buller, Victoria.







Image: forecast wind gusts across South Australia at 12:30 ASCT on Monday, May 26.


100-110 km/h northwesterly wind gusts will also extend into coastal and elevated parts of Victoria as well on Monday, reaching southern and eastern NSW on Tuesday. Gusty south-to-southwesterly winds behind the front will reach 90 km/h over Tasmania later on Tuesday and Wednesday.


Exceptionally dry soil moisture content across parts of South Australia and western Victoria have resulted from drought conditions over the past 1-2 years. As a result, tree roots across the region are weakened or dead. Combined with the flaky dry grounds surrounding them and lack of powerful cold fronts, the strong winds bring an increased risk of trees and branches falling across the region. As of 9:30am ACST, South Australia Power Networks was reporting nearly 3,000 customers without power, with more outages to come.





Image: Lowest on record rainfall deficiencies across much of South Australia’s agricultural belt and western Victoria from February 2024 to April 2025. Source: BoM.


While southern Australia is phenomenally dry, the inverse over eastern Australia with recent historical flooding will also bring the risk of trees falling under the strong winds with muddy and loose soil.


Along with the risk of down powerlines and lightning strikes hitting the energy grid, here are seven other ways the strong winds and wild weather over the coming days could lead to power outages over southeastern Australia.


Conditions will ease as high pressure strengthens over South Australia on Tuesday afternoon, and on Wednesday over Victoria, Tasmania and inland NSW, with gusty winds persisting into early Thursday for coastal NSW as the low moves east into the Tasman Sea.


 


The first major cold front of the year is bringing destructive winds to parts of southeastern Australia as a powerful low moves in from over the Bight

First major cold front of 2025 sweeping over South Australia

Utility companies across southeast Australia are bracing for wild weather early this week with indications that <a href="https://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/damaging-winds-to-batter-south-australia-monday/1890609">South Australia could see the greatest impacts on Monday</a>. The main hazards with this event will be severe thunderstorms and damaging-to-destructive winds.
Both of these hazards can lead to power outages. As you can imagine, lightning associated with severe thunderstorms can strike power lines, transformers and substations, resulting in an outage. Additionally damaging winds can lead to outages in the following ways:
<ol>
<li>Downed power lines: High winds can cause trees or large branches to fall onto power lines, breaking them or bringing them down entirely. This is one of the most common causes of wind-related power outages.</li>
<li>Direct damage to infrastructure: Extremely strong winds can damage electrical poles, transformers, and other power distribution equipment.</li>
<li>Flying debris: Wind can pick up and propel objects like signs, roofing materials, or other debris, which can then collide with and damage power lines or equipment.</li>
<li>Overloaded systems: In some cases, strong winds can cause power lines to sway and touch each other, creating surges that can overload transformers or other components of the electrical grid.</li>
<li>Equipment malfunctions: Sustained high winds can cause wear and tear on electrical equipment, potentially leading to malfunctions or failures.</li>
<li>Preventive shutoffs: In areas prone to wildfires, utility companies may preemptively shut off power during high wind events to prevent electrical equipment from potentially sparking fires.</li>
<li>Difficulty in repairs: Strong winds can also hamper repair efforts, making it challenging for utility workers to safely access and fix damaged equipment, potentially prolonging outages.</li>
</ol>
While the wild weather will be conducive to power outages early this week, the good news is that a ridge of high pressure will develop over southeast Australia from Wednesday, leading to more tranquil conditions for the latter half of the week.
Be sure to check the latest <a href="https://www.weatherzone.com.au/warnings">weather warnings</a> as this situation unfolds.


Utility companies across southeast Australia are bracing for wild weather early this week with indications that South Australia could see the greatest impacts on Monday. The main hazards with this event will be severe thunderstorms and damaging-to-destructive winds.


Both of these hazards can lead to power outages. As you can imagine, lightning associated with severe thunderstorms can strike power lines, transformers and substations, resulting in an outage. Additionally damaging winds can lead to outages in the following ways:




Downed power lines: High winds can cause trees or large branches to fall onto power lines, breaking them or bringing them down entirely. This is one of the most common causes of wind-related power outages.


Direct damage to infrastructure: Extremely strong winds can damage electrical poles, transformers, and other power distribution equipment.


Flying debris: Wind can pick up and propel objects like signs, roofing materials, or other debris, which can then collide with and damage power lines or equipment.


Overloaded systems: In some cases, strong winds can cause power lines to sway and touch each other, creating surges that can overload transformers or other components of the electrical grid.


Equipment malfunctions: Sustained high winds can cause wear and tear on electrical equipment, potentially leading to malfunctions or failures.


Preventive shutoffs: In areas prone to wildfires, utility companies may preemptively shut off power during high wind events to prevent electrical equipment from potentially sparking fires.


Difficulty in repairs: Strong winds can also hamper repair efforts, making it challenging for utility workers to safely access and fix damaged equipment, potentially prolonging outages.




While the wild weather will be conducive to power outages early this week, the good news is that a ridge of high pressure will develop over southeast Australia from Wednesday, leading to more tranquil conditions for the latter half of the week.


Be sure to check the latest weather warnings as this situation unfolds.



Utility companies across southeast Australia are bracing for wild weather early this week with indications that South Australia could see the greatest impacts 

How wild weather could lead to power outages this week

A deep low pressure system will pass over waters to the south of SA, bringing damaging wind gusts initially to coastal SA from late Sunday evening. Damaging wind gusts of 90-110km/h are then expected to impact much of southern SA, including the Adelaide area, and possibly western Victoria from Monday mid-morning to evening as the low pressure centre tracks closer to the coast of southeast SA. This system will also deliver notably cold air aloft with sufficient instability to fuel fast-moving, severe thunderstorms with isolated gusts exceeding 110km/h particularly from late morning to early evening on Monday.
<img src="https://news-images.weatherzone.com.au/24May25SAgusts.png" alt="" width="1920" height="1080" />
Image: Wind gusts at 3:30pm ACST Monday 26th May according to the ECMWF model.
The low pressure system is expected to weaken early Tuesday morning while tracking over the Bass Strait. However, the risk of damaging wind gusts in excess of 90km/h will persist over elevated terrain in Victoria and southeast NSW until Tuesday evening.
Be sure to check the latest <a href="https://www.weatherzone.com.au/warnings">weather warnings</a> as this situation unfolds.


A deep low pressure system will pass over waters to the south of SA, bringing damaging wind gusts initially to coastal SA from late Sunday evening. Damaging wind gusts of 90-110km/h are then expected to impact much of southern SA, including the Adelaide area, and possibly western Victoria from Monday mid-morning to evening as the low pressure centre tracks closer to the coast of southeast SA. This system will also deliver notably cold air aloft with sufficient instability to fuel fast-moving, severe thunderstorms with isolated gusts exceeding 110km/h particularly from late morning to early evening on Monday.





Image: Wind gusts at 3:30pm ACST Monday 26th May according to the ECMWF model.


The low pressure system is expected to weaken early Tuesday morning while tracking over the Bass Strait. However, the risk of damaging wind gusts in excess of 90km/h will persist over elevated terrain in Victoria and southeast NSW until Tuesday evening.


Be sure to check the latest weather warnings as this situation unfolds.



A deep low pressure system will pass over waters to the south of SA, bringing damaging wind gusts initially to coastal SA from late Sunday evening. Damaging wi

Damaging winds to batter South Australia Monday

A sunny spell lasting the best part of a week is on the cards for the entire NSW coast from this Saturday, after a week of <a href="https://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/record-may-rain-hits-western-sydney-as-nsw-soaking-continues/1890606\">record May rainfall</a> in many areas.&nbsp;
At most, only a brief light shower or two should fall in most coastal spots at any time over the next week, with showers more likely on the South Coast as a <a href="https://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/powerful-polar-blast-roaring-towards-australia/1890601">cold front</a> sweeps through on Monday.
The sunshine will be very welcome after a devastating week of NSW weather, with four people killed in <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05-22/thousands-people-isolated-floods-rain-continues-nsw/105320572">flood-related incidents</a>. At least five major flood warnings remain in place for NSW rivers, along with numerous moderate and minor flood <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/nsw/warnings/">warnings</a>.&nbsp;
With so much water surging down the rivers that empty out along the state&rsquo;s northern and central coastline, it&rsquo;s no wonder that some unusual things have been washing out to sea &ndash; including cows!
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Record flooding continues on Australian East Coast Cows have been rescued from floodwater inundating Wallabi Beach on the NSW Mid North Coast <a href="https://t.co/PrJ0FdNtn9">https://t.co/PrJ0FdNtn9</a>&hellip; <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Australia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Australia</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/floods?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#floods</a> <a href="https://t.co/gYYKzDvgef">pic.twitter.com/gYYKzDvgef</a>
&mdash; * * * (@3ty3) <a href="https://twitter.com/3ty3/status/1925484711977398659?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 22, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
Muddy water is also clearly visible from satellite imagery.
<img src="https://news-images.weatherzone.com.au/wz/Floodwaters_satellite_May23SQUARE.png" alt="" width="1080" height="1080" />
Image: Satellite view of the NSW Mid North Coast at 1pm on Friday, May 23, 3025.
The image above shows a distinct brown tinge in the ocean off the NSW Mid North Coast around Nambucca Heads due to floodwaters from the Nambucca River, the Bellinger River, and the mouth of the Hastings River which is obscured by cloud at the bottom of the image.
As cloud clears over the coming week, a broader pattern of muddy water will doubtless emerge further south along the NSW coastline.
The image below shows the running weekly rainfall totals in NSW in the seven days to 9am this Friday, May 23. The pink zone represents the heaviest rainfall (400mm or more) and corresponds directly to the areas of muddy ocean water.
<img src="https://news-images.weatherzone.com.au/wz/NSWweeklyrainfall.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="546" />
Image: Weekly rainfall totals for NSW/ACT from May 17 to May 23, 2025. Source: <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/maps/rainfall/?variable=rainfall&amp;map=totals&amp;period=week&amp;region=ns&amp;year=2025&amp;month=05&amp;day=23">BoM</a>.
<a href="https://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/why-is-nsw-so-wet-and-when-will-the-rain-stop/1890602">READ MORE: Our explainer from earlier this week on the cause of the NSW deluge</a>


A sunny spell lasting the best part of a week is on the cards for the entire NSW coast from this Saturday, after a week of record May rainfall in many areas. 


At most, only a brief light shower or two should fall in most coastal spots at any time over the next week, with showers more likely on the South Coast as a cold front sweeps through on Monday.


The sunshine will be very welcome after a devastating week of NSW weather, with four people killed in flood-related incidents. At least five major flood warnings remain in place for NSW rivers, along with numerous moderate and minor flood warnings. 


With so much water surging down the rivers that empty out along the state’s northern and central coastline, it’s no wonder that some unusual things have been washing out to sea – including cows!




Record flooding continues on Australian East Coast 

Cows have been rescued from floodwater inundating Wallabi Beach on the NSW Mid North Coast https://t.co/PrJ0FdNtn9… #Australia #floods pic.twitter.com/gYYKzDvgef

— * * * (@3ty3) May 22, 2025

 

Muddy water is also clearly visible from satellite imagery.





Image: Satellite view of the NSW Mid North Coast at 1pm on Friday, May 23, 3025.


The image above shows a distinct brown tinge in the ocean off the NSW Mid North Coast around Nambucca Heads due to floodwaters from the Nambucca River, the Bellinger River, and the mouth of the Hastings River which is obscured by cloud at the bottom of the image.


As cloud clears over the coming week, a broader pattern of muddy water will doubtless emerge further south along the NSW coastline.


The image below shows the running weekly rainfall totals in NSW in the seven days to 9am this Friday, May 23. The pink zone represents the heaviest rainfall (400mm or more) and corresponds directly to the areas of muddy ocean water.





Image: Weekly rainfall totals for NSW/ACT from May 17 to May 23, 2025. Source: BoM.


READ MORE: Our explainer from earlier this week on the cause of the NSW deluge


After record May rainfall along the NSW coastline, satellite imagery captures floodwaters out to sea as the weather starts to clear.

NSW floodwaters visible from space as rain slowly clears

Heavy rain continued across a broad area of eastern and southern NSW over the last 24 hours, with parts of western Sydney receiving their heaviest single day of May rain on record.
A slow-moving low pressure trough being fed by moisture-laden air from the Tasman Sea caused widespread rain over NSW on Thursday into Friday morning. This latest bout of rain continues a week-long drenching that <a href="https://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/rain-waves-and-gales-smashing-eastern-nsw/1890592">started last weekend</a> and has brought record-breaking rain and <a href="https://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/historic-flooding-as-eastern-nsw-deluge-continues/1890599">floods</a> over the past 5 days.
In the 24 hours ending at 9am AEST on Friday, May 23, falls of 100 to 150mm were recorded over a broad area of the NSW coast and ranges stretching from the Port Macquarie region down to about Moruya. There were even a few places that picked up more than 200 mm in this period. Some of the standout totals included:
<ul>
<li>233 mm at Macquarie Pass (Illawarra)</li>
<li>181 mm at Richmond Airport (Western Sydney)</li>
<li>157 mm in Woy Woy (Central Coast)</li>
<li>157 mm at Darkes Forest (near Wollongong)</li>
<li>154 mm at Lake Macquarie (Hunter)</li>
<li>146 mm at Gosford (Central Coast)</li>
<li>131 mm at Faulconbridge (Blue Mountains)</li>
<li>120 mm at Terrey Hills (Sydney)</li>
<li>102 mm at Taree (Mid North Coast)</li>
</ul>
Richmond Airport&rsquo;s 181.4mm of rain in the 24 hours to 9am on Thursday was the airport&rsquo;s wettest May day on record. Penrith (115.6 mm), Terrey Hills (120.2 mm), Lake Macquarie (153.6 mm) also set new May records for these sites. Sydney&rsquo;s Observatory Hill collected 72mm of rain, its wettest May day in 24 years.
<img src="https://news-images.weatherzone.com.au/twc/nsw_radar_satellite_20250523.gif" alt="Composite radar and satellite showing relentless rain over central eastern NSW on Thursday night and Friday morning." width="720" height="720" />
Image: Composite radar and satellite showing relentless rain over central eastern NSW on Thursday night and Friday morning.
<h2>Colossal weekly rainfall totals</h2>
The rain from the last 24 hours has pushed the running weekly accumulations well above half a metre in some areas.
Comboyne Public School, located southwest of Port Macquarie, registered 704 mm of rain in the 4 days ending at 9am on Friday.
Other huge 4-day rainfall totals up to 9am on Friday include 686 mm at Mount Seaview and 605 mm at Taree Airport. Prior to this week, Taree Airport had never registered more than 407 mm in the whole month of May, with data stretching back to 1882.
<h2>Floods spread south with recent rain</h2>
The most recent round of heavy rain has caused rivers to bulge across parts of eastern NSW, leading to new flooding in some areas and exacerbating existing flooding in others.
Moderate to major flooding continues in a number of rivers across the Hunter and Mid North Coast, despite the rain clearing most of these regions overnight.
Near Sydney, major flooding could develop in Tuggerah Lake on the Central Coast overnight Friday into Saturday. Minor to moderate flooding should occur along the Colo River on Friday, and minor flood warnings are also in place for parts of the Hawkesbury and Georges Rivers.
Flood watches and warnings also extend south through parts of the Illawarra and South Coast regions.
<h2>Where is the rain heading next?</h2>
Rain has already cleared from flood-weary areas of northeastern NSW and will continue contracting towards southeast NSW into Friday afternoon and night. Dry weather will then return across the state from Saturday as the rain-bearing trough that has plagued the state all week finally moves out over the Tasman Sea.
<img src="https://news-images.weatherzone.com.au/twc/nsw_rain_forecast_20250523.jpg" alt="Forecast accumulated rain during the 24 hours ending at 10pm AEST on Friday." width="1080" height="1080" />
Image: Forecast accumulated rain during the 24 hours ending at 10pm AEST on Friday.
Another cold front will cause showers to return to parts of NSW on Monday and Tuesday next week, falling as rain and snow, although this precipitation will mostly stay west of the Great Dividing Range.
<h2>Why has this week been so wet?</h2>
As we pointed out <a href="https://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/why-is-nsw-so-wet-and-when-will-the-rain-stop/1890602">earlier this week</a>, the weather system responsible for this week&rsquo;s rain had several unique characteristics that resulted in unusually long-lasting heavy rainfall across a large area of NSW:
<ul>
<li>A broad pool of cold upper-level air has been lingering over NSW since the start of this week. This cold air aloft provided what meteorologists refer to as upper-level forcing, which deepened a low pressure trough near the surface and enhanced convection (clouds forming in rising air) over eastern NSW.</li>
<li>This low pressure trough hardly moved over the space of four days, which caused heavy rain to remain focussed on the Hunter and Mid North Coast regions for a prolonged period.</li>
<li>The onshore winds feeding the rain this week have extended through a deep layer of the atmosphere, which provided copious fuel for rain-bearing clouds.</li>
<li>Above average sea surface temperatures in the Tasman Sea provided extra atmospheric moisture, increasing how much water was in the sky to fall as rain.</li>
<li>The landscape across eastern NSW was already wet before this week&rsquo;s rain arrived, which exacerbated the extent and severity of flooding.</li>
</ul>
Be sure to check the latest <a href="https://www.weatherzone.com.au/warnings">weather and flood warnings</a> and <a href="https://www.livetraffic.com/">road closures</a> in your area for the most up-to-date information.


Heavy rain continued across a broad area of eastern and southern NSW over the last 24 hours, with parts of western Sydney receiving their heaviest single day of May rain on record.


A slow-moving low pressure trough being fed by moisture-laden air from the Tasman Sea caused widespread rain over NSW on Thursday into Friday morning. This latest bout of rain continues a week-long drenching that started last weekend and has brought record-breaking rain and floods over the past 5 days.


In the 24 hours ending at 9am AEST on Friday, May 23, falls of 100 to 150mm were recorded over a broad area of the NSW coast and ranges stretching from the Port Macquarie region down to about Moruya. There were even a few places that picked up more than 200 mm in this period. Some of the standout totals included:




233 mm at Macquarie Pass (Illawarra)


181 mm at Richmond Airport (Western Sydney)


157 mm in Woy Woy (Central Coast)


157 mm at Darkes Forest (near Wollongong)


154 mm at Lake Macquarie (Hunter)


146 mm at Gosford (Central Coast)


131 mm at Faulconbridge (Blue Mountains)


120 mm at Terrey Hills (Sydney)


102 mm at Taree (Mid North Coast)




Richmond Airport’s 181.4mm of rain in the 24 hours to 9am on Thursday was the airport’s wettest May day on record. Penrith (115.6 mm), Terrey Hills (120.2 mm), Lake Macquarie (153.6 mm) also set new May records for these sites. Sydney’s Observatory Hill collected 72mm of rain, its wettest May day in 24 years.





Image: Composite radar and satellite showing relentless rain over central eastern NSW on Thursday night and Friday morning.


Colossal weekly rainfall totals


The rain from the last 24 hours has pushed the running weekly accumulations well above half a metre in some areas.


Comboyne Public School, located southwest of Port Macquarie, registered 704 mm of rain in the 4 days ending at 9am on Friday.


Other huge 4-day rainfall totals up to 9am on Friday include 686 mm at Mount Seaview and 605 mm at Taree Airport. Prior to this week, Taree Airport had never registered more than 407 mm in the whole month of May, with data stretching back to 1882.


Floods spread south with recent rain


The most recent round of heavy rain has caused rivers to bulge across parts of eastern NSW, leading to new flooding in some areas and exacerbating existing flooding in others.


Moderate to major flooding continues in a number of rivers across the Hunter and Mid North Coast, despite the rain clearing most of these regions overnight.


Near Sydney, major flooding could develop in Tuggerah Lake on the Central Coast overnight Friday into Saturday. Minor to moderate flooding should occur along the Colo River on Friday, and minor flood warnings are also in place for parts of the Hawkesbury and Georges Rivers.


Flood watches and warnings also extend south through parts of the Illawarra and South Coast regions.


Where is the rain heading next?


Rain has already cleared from flood-weary areas of northeastern NSW and will continue contracting towards southeast NSW into Friday afternoon and night. Dry weather will then return across the state from Saturday as the rain-bearing trough that has plagued the state all week finally moves out over the Tasman Sea.





Image: Forecast accumulated rain during the 24 hours ending at 10pm AEST on Friday.


Another cold front will cause showers to return to parts of NSW on Monday and Tuesday next week, falling as rain and snow, although this precipitation will mostly stay west of the Great Dividing Range.


Why has this week been so wet?


As we pointed out earlier this week, the weather system responsible for this week’s rain had several unique characteristics that resulted in unusually long-lasting heavy rainfall across a large area of NSW:




A broad pool of cold upper-level air has been lingering over NSW since the start of this week. This cold air aloft provided what meteorologists refer to as upper-level forcing, which deepened a low pressure trough near the surface and enhanced convection (clouds forming in rising air) over eastern NSW.


This low pressure trough hardly moved over the space of four days, which caused heavy rain to remain focussed on the Hunter and Mid North Coast regions for a prolonged period.


The onshore winds feeding the rain this week have extended through a deep layer of the atmosphere, which provided copious fuel for rain-bearing clouds.


Above average sea surface temperatures in the Tasman Sea provided extra atmospheric moisture, increasing how much water was in the sky to fall as rain.


The landscape across eastern NSW was already wet before this week’s rain arrived, which exacerbated the extent and severity of flooding.




Be sure to check the latest weather and flood warnings and road closures in your area for the most up-to-date information.


Heavy rain continued across a broad area of eastern and southern NSW over the last 24 hours, setting new May records in western Sydney.

Record May rain hits western Sydney as NSW soaking continues

Australia just had one of its coolest and wettest summers of the last decade. However, there were clear signs that La Ni�a is finally losing its grip on Australia?s weather. 

Australia just had one of its coolest and wettest summers of the last decade. However, there were clear signs that La Ni�a is finally losing its grip on Austral...

Climate Update - Summer 2022-23

Australia just had its 2nd wettest spring on record and its coolest spring in more than a decade. But will this cool and wet weather continue over summer? 

Climate Update Spring 2022

Parts of Australia just had their wettest October on record, leaving large areas of the landscape flooded as we head into the final month of spring. 

Climate Update - October 2022

Australia

Peninsula

Queensland

Find out the Yorke Island Weather Forecast here on Weatherzone. Discover today's weather & the forecast for the week ahead in Yorke Island.

Log into Weatherzone

Don't have an account?

Australia

Weather

World Location

Latest News

More News

Yorke Island Weather

Now

UPDATED -

Humidity

Dew Point

Wind

Wind Gust

Rain since 9AM

Rain in last hour

Pressure

More Observations

Yorke Island Warnings

Yorke Island Daily Forecast

Latest News