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Storms loom for sunny Sydney

Ben Domensino, Wednesday November 23, 2016 - 12:15 AEDT

Sydney's picture-perfect morning is just the calm before a storm.

This particular weather lore may be cliche, however it's perfect for today's weather in the harbour city.

Warm northwest to northeasterly winds and blue skies helped the temperature climb across the Sydney Basin this morning. A number of suburbs had already reached 30 degrees by midday, including Penrith, Homebush, Bankstown, Campbelltown, Camden and Richmond.

The day will stay dry and sunny as long as this warm air stays near the ground, although this won't be the case this afternoon.

A sea breeze and a southerly change will both affect parts of Sydney later today. These wind changes will force air near the surface to rise, quickly replacing blue skies with towering, fluffy-looking cumulonimbus clouds. They will initially develop over the ranges and in the western suburbs.

Winds blowing a few thousand metres above the ground will help steer any storms in the west towards the coast today. This means that all suburbs of Sydney have a chance of seeing a storm today.

The southerly change late this afternoon will also bring blustery winds and a marked temperature drop. Southerly winds may exceed 50 km/h near the coast behind the change and the temperature will drop by 10-15 degrees in a matter of hours.

Storms are also likely to develop elsewhere in central New South Wales today and over parts of the southern ranges. Storms may become severe with damaging wind and large hail the main threat, although bursts of heavy rain may also cause flash flooding.

Showers will clear most of Sydney by midnight, with dry conditions returning to much of the state on Thursday.

- Weatherzone

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