The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) is warning the entire east coast of Australia to be ready for a wet and stormy end to Christmas.

Angus Hines from the BOM said severe thunderstorms were forecast to stretch from central Queensland down to Victoria’s southern coast, hitting capital cities along the way.

“[It] could be a stormy one,” Mr Hines said.

“It really is targeting the eastern states, but it’s a broad swathe of eastern Australia which is at risk of showers, thunderstorms, and possibly severe thunderstorms.

Last night, NSW State Emergency Service (SES) crews responded to 25 call-outs for flash flood rescues in Sydney’s east, and there were major disruptions to flights at Sydney Airport after it received 90mm of rain. 

Mr Hines said there was a chance for similar conditions today. 

“We could see some very, very large hailstones, which we’ve been seeing in parts of south-east Queensland over the past couple of afternoons. And even some damaging winds,” he said.

Victorian town inundated

In the regional Victorian town of Wedderburn, about 217 kilometres north west of Melbourne, flood waters have inundated some homes and businesses.

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Owner of the Wedderburn Hotel Craig Fuller said whilst the pub hasn’t been impacted by water, more than half of his bookings had to be postponed until tomorrow as a result of the weather and road closures.

“The roads are now open by the looks of it so hopefully a few can make it in for Christmas lunch,” he said.

About 40 kilometres away, St Arnaud residents have also received a downpour with roads and residential areas experiencing flooding.

Victoria State Emergency Service deputy officer Aaron White said services had been assisting with requests and urged the community to steer clear of flood waters.

“We have already seen some people drive into those flood waters,” he said.

He said Dunolly in central Victoria has seen its wettest day on record since records began 142 years ago.

It recorded 90.2mm of rain.

Melbourne is bracing for up to 40mm of rain, bringing it close to the wettest Christmas on record when 48 millimetres was recorded in 1988.

Risk of more flash flooding in Sydney

Sydneysiders are being told to brace for more flash flooding as up to 150mm of rain is predicted to fall throughout the afternoon.

Western Sydney saw as much as 143mm of rain overnight, with the BOM predicting more than 100mm in isolated regions today.

NSW SES Assistant Commissioner Sean Kearns said volunteers are gearing up for a tough day of weather incidents.

“Our volunteers were out there yesterday and they’re out on the ground today,” Assistant Commissioner Kearns said.

“It can be very hard to predict where the severe thunderstorms are going to occur and when you see them they can produce isolated rainfalls of up to 200mm. 

“Yesterday we did see 60mm in some parts of Sydney just in an hour, which would lead to the flash flooding that you do see.”  

Pagewood, in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, was battered during the storm, with SES called to a series of townhouses after 30 garages flooded.

It was among the 25 flood rescues carried out by the SES yesterday, with a fresh warning for drivers to be aware of changing weather.

“If you are out and about during the severe thunderstorms, you should drive to conditions and if necessary pull over, but try not to pull over under trees,” Assistant Commissioner Kearns said.

“If the road is flooded, do not walk, ride, or drive through flood water, it’s just not worth it.”

Despite the forecast, people flocked to Bondi Beach to uphold a Christmas tradition.

“You just cannot do this in the UK,” said Nick who is Australia for the first time visiting his son Andy.

“I’m loving it, absolutely  loving it. I’m moving in  next week, if that’s alright?.”

In Queensland, power outages caused by storms across the south-east of Queensland, have left 11,266 customers still without power as of 11am.

Up to 57,000 homes lost power during the storms with energy company Energex stating they had worked overnight to fix the network.

Before the forecast change, families in Queensland basked in temperatures averaging 30C, hitting beaches and watering holes. 

At South Bank along the Brisbane River the skies were blue around midday, with people taking a dip ahead of Christmas lunches.

Malcolm Jones said his family hoped the fine Queensland weather would last all day.

“It’s just magnificent. The crowds are already building,” he said.

A mother and her two daughters told the ABC their early morning swim set a nice tone for the day. 

“And then we’ll go home and eat lunch and chill out for the rest of the day. It’s so lovely to see all the people here who’ve got the same idea as us as well.”