Brutal cold snap and thunderstorms set to sweep Australia

A fresh wave of wild weather is preparing to lash Australia, bringing freezing winds, thunderstorms and icy blasts to millions.

Australia is bracing for another blast of wild winter weather, with back-to-back cold fronts set to unleash wind, rain, hail and even snow across the country this weekend.

The stronger of the two systems is set to hit Western Australia on Saturday before sweeping through the southeast. Perth can expect showers and gusty winds from Saturday, with about 10–20mm of rain and isolated storms likely, before the front moves towards Adelaide.

A separate weather system is expected to impact Western Australia. Picture supplied

While the second front is less powerful, it is tipped to bring wet and wild weather to the eastern states, including thunderstorms and hail. As it sweeps east, another cold blast is expected to hit the southeast, bringing cold, wet, and windy conditions.

Weatherzone meteorologist Ben Domensino said the second cold front will cross the Bight on Saturday night into Sunday morning, dropping temperatures in southeastern Australia by the afternoon and evening.

“While not a strong cold front, this system will still bring a burst of wind and rain to parts of South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, southern New South Wales and the ACT on Sunday,” Mr Domensino said.

“Elevated areas of southeastern Australia will get particularly windy and could see severe weather warnings being issued for damaging winds.”

Senior BOM meteorologist Miriam Bradbury warns the system could bring isolated thunderstorms to some parts of the country.

“We are expecting to see a cold front approaching and then moving through the south eastern states,” Ms Bradbury said.

“Now it is likely to bring showers to parts of Victoria, Tasmania and South East South Australia with the chance of isolated thunderstorms or patches of small hail mainly around the coasts.”

A cold snap is set to hit the southern part of Australia: Picture Weatherzone

With the second system, Australians could see showers in the afternoon and evening, with a “good chance” of wet weather hitting Melbourne, Adelaide, Hobart, and possibly Canberra.

“Once the cold air and moisture associated with this system reach the Australian Alps, we should see about 5 to 10 cm of fresh snow falling between Sunday afternoon and Monday morning,” Mr Domensino said.

Despite the weather warning, Ms Bradbury says it is unlikely to be as severe as the winds that swept through last week.

The two fronts follow a polar air blast that marched across Australia, with wild winds continuing to batter the nation over the past week. Wind speeds topped 110km/h in a coastal area of NSW, while warnings remain in place throughout the state.

Originally published as Brutal cold snap and thunderstorms set to sweep Australia