Cold week ahead for millions with heavy rain looming for east coast

Huge parts of Australia are being told to brace for a wet and cold week, with the east coast set to be hit with heavy rain.

A cold Southern Ocean air mass is making its way across the country, bringing heavy wind and rain to parts of New South Wales including Sydney.

The harbour city could see up to 40mm of rain tomorrow and a similar amount on Saturday, with coastal regions in the state set to receive up to 100mm of rain.

READ MORE: Call for action as huge storm change to hit millions of Aussies

The SES has warned daily rainfall totals between 50-100mm are possible for parts of the Hunter, Mid North Coast and Northern Rivers districts, with wind gusts exceeding 90km/h also possible.

They also said snow is possible above 1000 metres in the central and northern ranges.

Melbourne will not see wet weather to the same extent, but Weatherzone predicts temperatures will not go above 16°c.

NSW SES Assistant Commissioner Nicole Hogan sent a warning to residents of coastal communities in New South Wales and urged them to understand the risks of wild weather.

"Catchments are still wet from recent weather events and may respond quickly to rainfall. Flash flooding and renewed river rises are possible with the forecast rainfall," she said.

"That means planning what you will do and where you will go if you are impacted by severe weather."

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