Australia's east coast is under threat with severe thunderstorms expected across large parts of NSW and ACT today and possible flash flooding on its way for Queensland. A heavy deluge of rain and damaging winds are expected across the east coast of NSW with wild weather warnings extending inland to Goulburn and Orange in the central west from Thursday night. The ACT is also forecast to expect similar wet La Niña conditions with south-east Queensland being battered by rain and lightning since the early hours on Thursday morning. Melbourne metro and areas across Victoria are experiencing some wet weather conditions as the low pressure system brings rain for the rest of the week. The Bureau of Meteorology's David Wilke says thunderstorms forming yesterday will turn into full-blown monster storms on Thursday. Wild weather is battering Brisbane (pictured) and areas of QLD's south-east, with similar conditions expected for more of Australia's east coast Torrential rain and wild wind are hitting areas of QLD, with 50mm of rain recorded in just one hour on the Darling Downs Peak hour traffic crawls through Brisbane as rain batters the city (pictured) Rain and lightning has been pelting Brisbane (pictured) since the early hours of Thursday morning with severe thunderstorm and flash flooding warnings put in place for areas on south-east QLD A cold front hitting the east coast is causing the miserable conditions in Brisbane (pictured) and is set to move the wild weather to NSW and VIC 'We're going to see a cold front moving through NSW ... it's going to bring pretty widespread areas of showers and storms and some reasonable rain through the southern part of the state,' he told AAP on Wednesday. The rain will extend to more eastern parts of the region into Thursday night, with Sydney and Canberra experiencing the worst of it. Meteorologist Jonathan Howe said the wild weather is due to a slow moving cold front that is dragging a lot of moisture and allowing the instability to 'fester'. 'A low-pressure system has brought a lot of rain to the Melbourne Metro and across Victoria and SA and gets down to Tasmania. We are seeing a lot of flood watches out later today,' he told Today on Thursday morning. Severe thunderstorms are forecast for NSW and ACT with similar weather expected for the coastal areas (pictured: storms building over Melbourne with the city expecting to see showers throughout the week) Meteorologist Jonathan Howe says conditions in QLD could see tornadoes forming with tennis ball-sized hail likely in south-east QLD and areas in NSW Damaging winds, heavy rain, and large hail and flash flooding is possible in some locations around the east coast (pictured: traffic braving the weather in Brisbane on Thursday morning) Meteorologists recommend keeping an eye out for weather warnings throughout the week as the wild weather is set to continue (pictured: pedestrians cover up from the rain lashing Brisbane) A severe thunderstorm warning is in place for Brisbane (pictured) and Moreton Bay He also commented that conditions were making it possible for tornadoes to form in south-east Queensland. 'Today, the ingredients for a tornado really do line up. We cannot predict where they are going to form but the environment is there to see these super events and the advice is keep an eye on any of the advice is keep an eye on any of the warnings because when they do crop up they cause a lot of problems.' Hail the size of tennis balls are also forecast for parts of these areas, as well as areas around Golborne, Orange and Port Macquarie in NSW. Areas in Queensland's south east are already experiencing torrential rain and flash flooding alerts after a massive thunderstorm hit the coastal area this morning. A severe thunderstorm warning is in place for Brisbane and Moreton Bay. Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Toowoomba have been pelted by torrential rain and lightning since the early hours of Thursday morning, with over 50mm falling in one hour at Dalby on the Darling Downs. The wild weather is expected to begin easing after Thursday, but there's still the possibility of thunderstorms on Friday (pictured: cyclist braving the wet weather in Brisbane) Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Toowoomba have been pelted by torrential rain and lightning since the early hours of Thursday morning BOM has released a warning (pictured) for severe thunderstorms in these areas 'Dalby copping an absolute monster at the moment,' local resident Adam Ogden said to The Courier Mail. However, these thunderstorms are often small area events, which means some communities may experience intense storm activity while locations nearby aren't affected. Hazards may include damaging winds, heavy rain, and large hail and flash flooding is possible in some locations around the east coast. Recent rain has left catchments in those areas wet and many dams are near capacity, so there's the potential for more rain to cause rivers to rise and flooding. The Gold Coast (pictured) is one of the areas where these severe weather warnings are directed at These heavier than expected rainfalls are looking more likely during the summer months after the BOM raised its ENSO outlook from a La Niña 'watch' to 'alert' on Tuesday. Conditions are expected to begin easing after Thursday, but there's still the possibility of thunderstorms on Friday. SA and Tasmania are feeling the effects of the low pressure system as showers and chilly temperatures are forecast for Adelaide and Hobart in the coming days. Over in Perth, cloud cover and showers are expected towards the end of the week, with highs reaching the low 30s. Hobart is also experiencing the wet weather with rain forecast for the rest of the week and temperatures not surpassing 18 degrees. While remaining warm, Darwin is expecting showers and possible storms for the remainder of the week. THE WEATHER IN YOUR CITY THIS WEEK PERTH Friday: Cloud increasing. Min 13 Max 32 Saturday: Partly Cloudy. Min 16 Max 26 Sunday: Few showers. Min 14 Max 22 Monday: Showers developing. Min 12 Max 24 ADELAIDE Friday: Showers. Min 8 Max 18 Saturday: Shower or two. Min 10 Max 17 Sunday: Partly cloudy. Min 7 Max 20 Monday: Sunny. Min 10 Max 24 MELBOURNE Friday: Showers. Min 10 Max 16 Saturday: Showers. Min 11 Max 16 Sunday: Shower or two. Min 9 Max 17 Monday: Partly cloudy. Min 8 Max 20 HOBART Friday: Rain. Min 12 Max 18 Saturday: Showers. Min 11 Max 16 Sunday: Shower or two. Min 8 Max 17 Monday: Shower or two. Min 8 Max 15 CANBERRA Friday: Showers, possible storm. Min 5 Max 15 Saturday: Showers. Min 5 Max 14 Sunday: Partly cloudy. Min 4 Max 18 Monday: Partly cloudy. Min 3 Max 20 SYDNEY Friday: Shower or two. Min 14 Max 23 Saturday: Partly cloudy. Min 12 Max 23 Sunday: Sunny. Min 12 Max 23 Monday: Partly cloudy. Min 12 Max 24 BRISBANE Friday: Showers, possible storm. Min 20 Max 29 Saturday: Sunny. Min 14 Max 30 Sunday: Sunny. Min 14 Max 30 Monday: Shower or two. Min 15 Max 28 DARWIN Friday: Shower or two, possible storm Min 26 Max 34 Saturday: Shower or two, possible storm. Min 26 Max 34 Sunday: Shower or two, possible storm. Min 26 Max 33 Monday: Shower or two, possible storm. Min 26 Max 34 Advertisement All rights reserved for this news site (dailymail) and under his responsibility