Sydney and Brisbane are set for another week of rain due to a potentially record-breaking high-pressure system, which could also bring Melbourne its coldest morning of the year on Wednesday.

Daily showers are forecast along Australia’s east coast until next Wednesday, with up to 60mm of rain expected in Sydney and Brisbane. This adds to an already rainy year for Sydney, which has exceeded its annual rainfall in the first half of 2024.

BoM senior meteorologist Angus Hines explained that the high-pressure system over the Great Australian Bight and Tasmania is redirecting ocean moisture to NSW and Queensland, causing the prolonged wet weather. “It’s a long stretch of showery days, making it hard to dry everything out in the cool weather,” Hines said.

While the high-pressure system brings showers to the north, it also results in clear skies and cold nights for Victoria, Tasmania, and much of southern Australia. Melbourne could see its coldest morning of the year on Wednesday, with temperatures dropping to 1C. Hobart and Adelaide have already experienced their coldest mornings since 2022 and 2021, respectively.

“We might see similar cold conditions across southeastern Australia, with Wednesday likely being the coldest morning of the week,” Hines said. Melbourne is expected to endure mornings of 5C or below for a week, potentially making it the coldest week in 11 years, according to Weatherzone.

More showers are predicted to move inland over South Australia, Queensland, and NSW by the weekend before reaching Victoria next week as the high-pressure system recedes, potentially bringing milder temperatures to the southern regions.

Re-reported from the article originally published in THE GUARDIAN.