Cloud, rain and a few thunderstorms will spread across parts of eastern Australia during the next 24 hours, with storms already causing a flurry of lighting around Lightning Ridge on Monday morning.

The satellite image below shows cloud covering most of NSW and the ACT, and parts of Vic, SA and Qld on Monday morning. This cloud was being caused by an upper-level trough interacting with moisture-laden air, which is the same system that blanketed the entire state of SA with cloud cover on Sunday.

Areas of rain were spreading across NSW, northern Vic and southern Qld on Monday morning. There were even a few thunderstorms in northern NSW, including a storm cell that produced more than 1,000 lightning strikes around Lightning Ridge.

Image: Locations of the 1,149 lightning strikes that were detected within 200km of Lightning Ridge, NSW during the six hours ending at midday on Monday, August 5, 2024.

Rain and a few storms will continue to spread over parts of NSW, southern Qld and Vic on Monday afternoon and evening. Showers will then continue in northern NSW and southeast and central Qld on Tuesday, before contracting towards central Qld on Wednesday.

The map below shows how much rain one computer model is predicting during the next three days combined. This system could deliver about 10 to 30 mm of rain in northern NSW and southern inland Qld, most of which will fall on Monday.

Image: Forecast accumulated rain during the 72 hours ending at 10pm AEST on Wednesday, August 7, 2024.

This system is unlikely to cause flooding, although the combination of cold weather and rain has prompted a sheep grazier’s warning for the Northern Tablelands district in NSW for Tuesday.