Storms are rumbling their way across New South Wales late on Wednesday afternoon, especially in the state's north, as a rainband stretches virtually the entire length of the state from north to south.

The rainband is associated with a low pressure system and cold front tracking slowly eastwards, and this system is providing welcome spring rainfall to many areas.

Unfortunately there is potential for dangerous weather into Wednesday evening, with the BoM issuing numerous Severe Weather Warnings and Severe Thunderstorm Warnings for NSW, as well as Severe Weather Warnings for Victoria’s Gippsland region in eastern Vic, just south of the NSW border.

Please check the latest warnings here or on our app.

The radar image below at 4:30 pm tells an interesting story.

Spring storms in sub-tropical regions tend to form at the confluence of warm and cool airmasses, and the background colours indicate the significant temperature differential between northeastern NSW and the rest of the state either side of the rainband.

Meanwhile Sydney reached a top of 27.9°C today – not quite as high as forecast due to thick cloud cover – and while only the barest amount of rain has yet been registered in the city (0.2 mm) as we write this story approaching 5 pm, this evening could yet turn a lot wetter.

Canberra is also having a very welcome drop of rain, with 6 mm by 3 pm and the prospect of plenty more to come. It is the national capital's first rain since September 9.

Mt Ginini, in the catchment of the Cotter River which serves three of the city's four main storage reservoirs, had received 36 mm by 4:30 pm. It's very common for the mountains west of Canberra to receive much more rain than the city in systems like this that come from the west or northwest.