Updated Dec. 25, 2019 11:25 AM
Extreme heat will expand from the center of the country to New South Wales in the coming days, while the long-awaited monsoon brings wet weather, and perhaps some tropical development to northern Australia.
Much of northern Australia has been drier than normal in December.
"The monsoon usually arrives in November in northern Australia, but was delayed this year," said AccuWeather Lead International Meteorologist Jason Nicholls.
Much-anticipated moisture will arrive just before the end of 2019. By the the start of the weekend, the dry weather is expected to come to an end in places in like the Cape York Peninsula, the Top End and even the Kimberley coast.
More widespread showers and thunderstorms will be in the area through Monday, and some pockets of rain could be on the heavier side.
Residents in the area should be prepared for flash flooding, should a downpour sit over their particular area for a longer period of time. The most likely locations to flood would be low-lying and poor drainage areas.
Not only will conditions be favorable for showers and thunderstorms, but a tropical low could develop off the coast of northwestern Australia by early next week.
"This is an area we will need to monitor, as it could become the first cyclone of the season in this area," said Nicholls.
Northern Australia can expect more showers in the vicinity for the first few days of 2020.
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At the same time, the extreme midsummer heat across the center of Australia will expand into parts of southern Queensland and New South Wales.
Throughout the weekend, the mercury will be on the rise across the region, bringing sweltering conditions.
High temperatures on Monday afternoon are expected around 31 C (89 F) in the Sydney area and 37 C (100 F) in Melbourne.
While these temperatures are not as high as the record-breaking temperatures reached back in the middle of the month, they are well above normal for the end of December.
This heat will continue to keep any vegetation in the area dry, which could lead to additional wildfire issues across the region.
Even as the heat eases by the final day of the month, dry weather is expected to continue in New South Wales as revelers celebrate the start of 2020.
A firefighter controls a backburn near Mangrove Mountain, north of Sydney, Australia, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2019. Hot, dry conditions brought an early start to the fire season. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
As AccuWeather predicted back in October, the weather pattern over Australia for the last two months has been directly influenced by a positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD).
The positive Indian Ocean Dipole is characterized by warmer-than-average waters off the African east coast and cooler-than-average waters off the Indonesia coast.
"A pattern with a positive IOD usually favors drought conditions across northern and eastern Australia, and often leads to extreme heat in southern Australia," said Nicholls.
Both have been experienced across Australia late this year, with the delayed wet season in the North and the heat in New South Wales.
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