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Rain spinning up near northeast NSW

Jess Miskelly, Saturday February 24, 2024 - 15:34 AEDT

The trough that stormed over central NSW on Friday has stalled over the state's northeast and is starting to spin a low.

It's hard to make out on the satellite animation, but you can get a clue from the low-level cloud in the south streaming northward in southerly winds, while higher-level cloud further north is streaming southeastward in northwesterly winds. Such a pattern is indicative of an upper trough which, in plain language, means instability.

Cool southerly winds behind the trough at the surface are pushing into an area of warmer air further north, forcing the warmer air upwards where it starts to spin. The stalled trough with the aid of this small-scale and short-lived low is expected to deliver heavy rain to the Mid North Coast, Northern Rivers, Northern Tablelands and possibly the adjacent Northwest Slopes tonight.

Image: Latest 3-hr satellite loop showing cloud streaming from the northwest over northeast NSW and from the south over southern NSW.

Rain should be heaviest north of about Coffs Harbour. Falls of 100-150mm are possible about some parts of the ranges, far northeast coast and western slopes, with falls of 40-80mm likely. So far, the top fall in the area since 9am has been 40mm at Haystack and Ridgelands west of Glenn Innes.

This system will then collide with another trough bowing down from central Queensland, delivering heavy rain to the Sunshine Coast and areas to the north Saturday night and Sunday morning.

Image: Latest water vapour imagery overlaid with observed dewpoints showing huge amounts of moisture over northeast NSW and southeast Qld.

- Weatherzone

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