South Pole to blame for our chills

Winter is coming, warns the Bureau of Meteorology, with Lismore temperatures hovering around 15 degrees and forcing us to grab our blankies and heaters (and cuddly doggos).

SNUGGLE UP: The Bureau of Meteorology said a cold air mass from Antarctica is the reason why residents on the Northern Rivers are snuggling up with small fluffy dogs, woolly scarfs and huddling by the heater. Photo; Alison Paterson

A freezing cold air mass straight from penguin central on Antarctica is the reason why temeparatures on the Northern Rivers took a nose dive today.

According to the Bureau of Meteorology’s duty meteorologist, Helen Reid, the top temperature for Wednesday was achieved at 9am when we hit 15.8 C.

“A mass of air with a low freeze level has come up from a long way south,” she said.

And by south, she does not mean a few kilometres over the NSW border.

“This air mass has come from a long way south of Australia, from near Antarctica,” she said.

“And this air mass is cold all the way through, so temperatures are not just cool, they are wintertime cold.”

Ms Reid said the air mass had retained its cold air through all its layers as it travelled north.

“The freeze level of the air mass where water freezes is quite low to the ground,” she said.

“As the layer from the troposphere, which we are in, to the stratosphere is very cool and it has taken several days to, move up here trapped in its own little polar circulation pod, it has retained its cold characteristics with nothing to soften the temperature.”

If this sounds a bit complex, then that’s because, well, it is.

Essentially this means tonight it might get down to 10C, so consider piling on the blankets, don a pair of bedsocks and a fluffy dog at your feet would not go amiss.

Ms Red said thankfully, temperatures are expected to rise on Thursday.

“This cold will only hang around for a day or two, although ti may still be a bit chilly tomorrow,” she said.

“On Thursday in Lismore the temperature will raise to 22 or 23.

“Then on Friday it will be up to 25 or 26 with your subtropical weather as usual.”