To get a decent storm you (usually) need some decent heating at ground level. Yesterfday was fairly cloudy right through. That cloud means less ground heating, which means less heating of the air close to the ground – and less energy for storms to develop.

Today is…different. We started off with some cloud and a few showers – remnants from overnight storms moving across from the inland. Today we have clear skies…and that means early heating, and with cold air up high, a good chance of storms across NE NSW through today.

This lightning animation from the EC model shows forecast lightning through today. You can see it build across our region late morning through the afternoon, with a strong band moving north east across far NE NSW and SE QLD through the afternoon and evening:

Severe storms are possible today, particularly across far NE NSW and SE QLD, but heavy rain is also possible with storms across our region. Definitely a day to get the washing out early. As with all storm days some will see some good rain while others see very little if any….so good day to watch the radar keep an eye out for warnings.

Looking further ahead we’ve still got a wet signal in the outlook right through summer, which means an increased risk of flooding through our wet season. The good news – with support from local IT business Snapfrozen, the Kombu Floodcam is now live streaming 24/7. You can check it out here.

Image: EC via Meteologix.