‘Disruptive start to school holidays’: Icy blast to hit every state and territory
Winter’s bite is coming in at full force with temperatures forecast to plummet over much of the country – just in time for the school holidays.
Environment
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Australians nationwide are likely to wake up to frosty conditions in the coming days, as chilly morning ground temperatures are forecast across every state and territory.
Frost alerts have been issued for several southeastern regions, including Canberra, where temperatures are expected to dip below freezing.
Sky News meteorologist Marina Neuman described the frost forecast as “widespread,” with cold conditions set to affect both the eastern and western parts of the country.
The anticipated frost coverage spans a wide area, including the ACT, most of New South Wales, and parts of Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, the Northern Territory, and Western Australia.
“That means the entire country, every single state, are likely to see frost at least somewhere within their respective state or territory,” Neuman said.
She noted that some southeastern regions already faced “icy cold” conditions on Friday morning, with Canberra reaching a low of just 1.3°C. The capital was forecast to plunge to – 5°C on Saturday, while Sydney was expected to see a minimum of 7°C.
The Bureau of Meteorology issued frost warnings for areas in Victoria and South Australia.
In northern Victoria, severe frosts could send the mercury as low as – 4°C, potentially causing significant damage to crops, according to the bureau.
In South Australia, frosts and lows of around – 1°C were forecast for districts such as the Mid North, Upper South East, Murraylands, and Riverlands.
A sheep graziers’ warning has also been issued for the Snowy Mountains in NSW, with cold temperatures and north-westerly winds expected.
Up north a band of cloud and rain has started forming over The Gulf of Carpentaria, bringing wet conditions to parts of northern Queensland and the Northern Territory.
As Sunday progresses, this rain band is expected to move eastwards, reaching the Queensland coast. By the end of the day, much of eastern Queensland — from Townsville down to Brisbane — is likely to experience rainfall.
The bureau’s latest weather update said the rain would “continue into Monday morning, clearing out of the state by Monday evening as the wet weather pushes into NSW”.
“The rain isn’t expected to be heavy or cause flooding. However, it does come during the drier time of year, so may be disruptive for the start of the school holidays,” the bureau said.
A cold front is expected to sweep through the southeast on Sunday, though Neuman noted it won’t bring a major shift in temperatures. Sunday’s forecast includes highs of 19°C in Sydney, 21°C in Port Macquarie, 20°C in Coffs Harbour, and 21°C in both Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
“What we’re looking at is temperatures remaining right where they should be for this time of the year,” Neuman said.
“However, it might feel a bit cooler than that in Queensland because we have rainfall moving in. That’s going to be all the way across the tropics, through the centre and well into the coastline, and so that could make it feel a bit cooler both Saturday as well as Sunday.”
Maximum temperatures forecast for other capitals on Sunday include 13°C in Melbourne, 20°C in Perth, 16°C in Adelaide, 11°C in Hobart, 13°C in Canberra, and a warm 31°C in Darwin.
Originally published as ‘Disruptive start to school holidays’: Icy blast to hit every state and territory
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