Rain will fall over a number of states and territories this weekend, including at least three or four capital cities.

The maps below show where and how much rain is expected to fall on both Saturday and Sunday, according to one computer model (the ECMWF model).

Image: Forecast rainfall for Saturday (top) and Sunday (bottom) according to the ECMWF model.

On Saturday, a trough passing over eastern Australia will trigger showers and thunderstorms over NSW and southern and western Queensland. Some of this rain will affect Sydney and possibly Canberra. Severe storms are also likely to develop near this low pressure trough.

There will also be plenty of shower and thunderstorm activity across central and northern Australia on Saturday, possibly including Darwin. A flood watch has been issued for some river catchments in the north of WA.

On Sunday, the rain and storm-bearing trough over eastern Australia will move further north and east. This will cause showers and storms to affect far northeast NSW and much of northern, central and southeast Queensland, possibly including Brisbane. Further south, more isolated showers will linger along the NSW coast and adjacent ranges with blustery onshore winds in the wake of the trough.

Northern and central Australia will also see more wet and stormy weather on Sunday, from northern Queensland across to the Pilbara in WA and down to the Red Centre.

Most of southern and western Australia will remain dry over the weekend, with Perth in for a warm couple of days in the low to mid-thirties.