Top Enders shiver through coldest morning in years

IF you found it hard to get out of bed on Wednesday morning, you weren’t the only one, with parts of the Top End shivering through their coldest morning in nearly two decades

Ross Park Primary School staff captured images of icicles on the trees during Wednesday morning where the mercury dipped to 1.4C overnight in Alice Springs Picture: Ross Park Primary School

IF you found it hard to get out of bed on Wednesday morning, you weren’t the only one, with parts of the Top End shivering through their coldest morning in nearly two decades.

Bureau of Meteorology senior duty forecaster Sally Cutter said Katherine’s Tindal RAAF base recorded a minimum of 4C on Wednesday, making it the coldest night in 18 years and only the third time it has been that cold since 1992.

Ross Park Primary School staff captured images of icicles on the trees during Wedneday morning where the mercury dipped to 1.4C overnight in Alice Springs. Picture: Ross Park Primary School

In comparison, Hobart also recorded a minimum of 4C on the same day and Katherine was colder than Adelaide (4.8C), Brisbane (13.9C) and Perth (12.2C).

“It’s not every day we get as cold as Tasmania, it’s a little quirk you see every once in a while with a mass of cool and dry air,” she said.

“A few more records were also broken across the Top End on Wednesday.

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Oenpelli and Murganella both recorded 7.6C which is the coldest night they’ve had there in seven years.

“The coldest NT minimums were a -1C in Arltunga and 0.4C Alice Springs — which is on par with what folks in Canberra woke up to.

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Image showing the overnight low temperatures around the country with Alice Springs being the lowest. Artwork: Stu Thornton

“It was 14.9C in Darwin which is five degrees below average for this time of year, but still warmer than Monday’s 12.7 degrees, which was their lowest temperature in eight years.”

Ms Cutter said Top Enders could expect some humidity later in the week as the winds turn easterly and bring down moisture from the Gulf of Carpentaria.

“In Darwin we’re expecting those minimum temperatures to gradually pick up with 15C on Thursday and 16C on Friday and 20C on Saturday and Sunday morning,” she said.

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“Things should get a bit warmer for people in Katherine also.

“We’re expecting them to wake up to a 6C on Thursday and 11C on Friday.

“So it’s going to get slightly warmer which means people may find themselves wanting to shed a layer of blankets but it’s still going to be fairly cold.”

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