10 days of rain coming for two states

Rainfall has started to soak fire-ravaged grounds on the east coast, marking the start of a wet weekend for residents of NSW and Queensland.

A string of wet and stormy days is expected to soak parts of NSW and Queensland from this weekend, with up to 10 days of rain forecast in some regions.

A round 20mm of rain fell on Friday afternoon near Tenterfield – on the NSW/ Queensland border – where a number of large fires have been burning.

However, the storms are not all good new for firefighting efforts, with the NSW RFS urging residents to check their properties for new fires after dozens of lightning strikes were detected near Tenterfield on Friday afternoon.

Just north of the border, about 27mm of rainfall was recorded in the Wallangarra region where firefighters are still battling two blazes.

At one stage, at least 80 fires were burning in both NSW and Queensland with multiple evacuation orders issued and dozens of properties destroyed.

A number of active fire grounds in northern NSW and southern Qld are likely to experience rainfall this weekend.

Cooler and more humid easterly winds will also contribute to better firefighting conditions and will hopefully help extinguish stubborn fires.

Rainfall of between 20mm and 40mm is forecast to fall over central and northern NSW and in southeast and central Queensland.

Some models run by WeatherZone suggests up to 100mm could fall before next Friday in northern NSW.

Thunderstorms could become a daily feature during this stretch of wet weather, with the potential for severe weather conditions.

An increased risk of flash flooding has been flagged by forecasters.

Bushfires continue to rip through the Northern Territory as the total land scorched rises to 13 million hectares - more than the 10.3 million hectares burnt across the country during the catastrophic 2019/2020 Black Summer fires.

Shocking animations produced by GeoSciences Australia demonstrate the extent of their destruction over the last two months.

Bushfires NT chief fire control Tony Fuller warned earlier this year that current forecasts suggest this fire season could be the worst the territory has seen in more than a decade.

“80 per cent of the Territory burnt during the 2011-12 season, and due to consecutive La Nina years and above average temperatures forecast this summer, this could repeat again this season,” Mr Fuller said in August.

Here’s the weather outlook in every capital city this weekend.

Perth

By Saturday, the skies will clear and the temperature climb up another degree to a high of 37C.

The heat will ease by Sunday but stay warm with a maximum of 28C.

Darwin

The northernmost capital will get to enjoy a run of days with a maximum of 35C this weekend.

Clear, sunny conditions are forecast through to Sunday with a low chance of rain.

Adelaide

The sun will pop out this weekend, bringing the temperature up to a high of 25C on Sunday.

Melbourne

Residents of Victoria’s capital will be spared the downpour due to hit other east coast states this weekend.

However, they won’t reach the same warm temperatures of the states on the west of the country.

A maximum of 18C is forecast for Saturday and slightly warmer on Sunday with a high of 23C.

Hobart

A 40 per cent chance of showers is forecast for Saturday with a maximum of 15C.

The rain is likely to ease on Sunday with cloudy skies and a low of 7C.

Sydney

Showers will settle over Sydney this weekend, with up to 30mm forecast to fall over the city before Sunday.

A maximum temperature of 25C will be the warmest part of the weekend.

Canberra

A chance of showers is expected in the nation’s capital on Saturday.

The rain will hopefully clear by Sunday though temperatures will remain cool at a maximum of 20C.

Brisbane

Showers are forecast for Brisbane for the next week though temperatures will stay reasonably warm.

A maximum temperature of 26C will arrive on Saturday.

The most rain is likely to fall on Sunday with up to 20mm forecast.