Record lows perfect for the kids to chill out

The winter solstice has delivered an unseasonably cold snap, with some areas chilling through their lowest temperatures in decades.

‘These conditions are ideal’ ... young visitors revel in the fresh snow at Thredbo yesterday where temperatures have averaged -5C overnight.

The winter solstice has delivered an unseasonably cold snap, with some parts of the country chilling through their lowest temperatures in decades.

South Australia’s Coonawarra region experienced its coldest day in 37 years on Saturday, when temperatures dropped to -3.8C.

It is predicted the region will continue its freezing mornings over the coming days with temperatures dropping to -5C, which would be the coldest temperatures felt in the area for 47 years.

Mount Gambier shivered through its coldest day in 12 years on Saturday when the temperature dropped to -2.2C.

Record 12-year lows were ­recorded in Queensland, with Birdsville and St George falling to 0.5C and -2.9C respectively.

A few towns recorded their coldest days in eight years with Moree in northern NSW hitting -3.8C, SA’s Coober Pedy and ­Naracoorte reaching 0.8C and -3.8C respectively.

Large parts of the country are chilling to temperatures of below zero at night, with Glen Innes airport in the New England area of northeast NSW recording -8.9C on Friday.

The unseasonably cold weather is expected to continue over the coming days due to a slow-moving high-pressure system, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

The cold snap has provided perfect conditions for snow-making at the country’s ski fields, with temperatures at Thredbo in the Snowy Mountains falling to -10C last week and averaging about -5C overnight.

“These conditions are ideal for us, this run of cold clear nights and days saw a snow-making marathon with nearly four days of continuous snow-making,” Thredbo spokeswoman Susie Diver said.

“We’ve been able to freshen up the open trails and build the base in other areas to open more terrain. We have a week of cold sunshine ahead, with the forecast showing a snowy change in the weather next weekend and into the first week of July.”

Thousands of tourists from NSW and Queensland who travelled to Perth for last night’s State of Origin rugby league clash had to endure the city’s wettest June day in two years before they could get to the game at Optus Stadium.

Perth recorded 58mm of rain in the 24 hours to 9am yesterday, making it the city’s wettest June day since June 22, 2017, when 61.2mm was recorded.

It was the wettest day in Perth for any month of the year since 96.2mm was recorded on January 16 last year. The deluge means Perth has recorded 177.2mm of rain this month so far — its wettest June in 14 years.

Ahead of the football, the BoM was forecasting more showers in Perth during the evening as another cold front was expected to hit.

Additional Reporting: Andrew Burrell, AAP