New Year's weather: Rainfall, heatwaves galore to farewell 2021
Mother Nature just couldn’t let us off the hook, could she?
The final days of 2021 and first day of 2022 is set to be marred by wild weather across Australia including heatwaves and heavy rainfall.
Far North Queensland will endure several days of heavy rain leading into New Year’s Eve.
Weatherzone meteorologist Chris Matthews told Yahoo News Australia a tropical low which didn’t quite make it to the Northern Territory will bring a deluge.
“This will affect the area over the next few days from Tuesday until Thursday,” Mr Matthews said.
“The question is whether it stays on the coast or goes further east after that. It’ll certainly dump a lot of rain.
A tropical low is moving across northern Aust to the Coral Sea, then southeast, parallel to the Queensland coast.
Stay up to date with current warnings for heavy rainfall, flooding, squally showers, damaging wind, abnormally high tides & damaging surf: https://t.co/GEuL3hnK8e pic.twitter.com/A3xaxWkNgy— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) December 28, 2021
Innisfail is among towns on the Far North forecast to be belted with back-to-back days of more than 150mm, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. Temperatures will max out in the high 20s with the possibility of storms.
The rainfall means Innsifail has the potential to receive its average December rainfall of 263mm in just two days. Luckily, the reprieve for the Far North will come on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day with the showers easing off and temperature in the low 30s.
Brisbane residents won’t quite have the same deluge but that won’t mean packing away the umbrella entirely. New Year’s Eve is forecast for light showers of up to 5mm and a top of 27 while the first day of 2022 is probably one best spent indoors with up to 45mm of rain and a max of 26.
Heatwave affects Adelaide and Melbourne
Mr Matthews said Adelaide can expect “hot and dry” conditions leading into 2022 care of a heatwave affecting the state.
“It’s a low intensity heatwave generated from all that inland heat,” Mr Matthews said.
Residents are in for a NYE top of 36 and a New Year’s Day max of 37.
Mr Matthews said the heat will also move eastward where it will be “more severe” in parts of Victoria.
Anyone enjoying New Year’s Eve in Melbourne and parts of Victoria close to the NSW border will want to find a cool spot to bid farewell to 2021 as a heatwave blasts the state.
From a top of 24 on Wednesday, the temperature will rise to 32, before 34 on NYE and 36 on January 1.
Border towns including Yarrawonga will experience what BoM has deemed a “severe heatwave”, with the potential for a top of 40 on January 1 and 39 on NYE.
Tasmania, southern NSW simmer
Across the border, southern parts of NSW will also endure the heatwave with Eden and towns along the South Coast hitting tops in the low 30s from December 31 through to the weekend.
Canberra can also expect similar temperatures with clear skies.
Sydneysiders will avoid the heatwave with a top of 29 on both NYE and January 1.
People ringing in the New Year in Tasmania will also contend with a heatwave of their own.
Towns along the east coast including Fingal and St Marys will see tops of 29 on Friday for the final day of 2021 before Saturday warms up to a toasty 33.
Hobart will be slightly cooler with tops of 25 and 29 respectively.
New Year’s weekend weather overview
Sydney
December 31: 18-29, mostly sunny
January 1: 18-29, mostly sunny
Canberra
December 31: 12-31
January 1: 13-32
Brisbane
December 31: 20-27, 0-3mm
January 1: 20-26, 5-45mm
Melbourne
December 31: 18-34
January 1: 19-36
Adelaide
December 31: 21-36
January 1: 21-37
Perth
December 31: 20-33
January 1: 19-33
Hobart
December 31: 14-25
January 1: 13-29
Darwin
December 31: 27-34
January 1: 26-33, 0-3mm
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