Queenslanders hit with another Antarctic blast, as temperatures fall well below zero

South East Queensland is shivering through a polar blast with apparent temperatures plunging to -9.8C in what is expected to be the coldest start to May for years.

Raffi Smith-Rogers, 5, rugs up against the cold at Noosaville. Picture Lachie Millard

South East Queenslanders are shivering through a morning of freezing temperatures as low as -5.7C, made even worse by atmospheric conditions that mean it feels more like -9.8C, as a cold front moves through the state.

Once again, the Darling Downs and Granite Belt region bore the brunt of the coldest conditions, with Oakey facing the lowest apparent, or “feels like”, temperature of -9.8C.

Elsewhere in the region, Wellcamp Airport got down to -5.1C with an apparent temperature of -7.4C, Applethorpe reached -4.1C with an apparent temperature of -4.5C, and Warwick dipped to -3.6C with an apparent temperature of -5.1C. In Dalby, west of Oakey, it got down to -2.6C, with an apparent temperature of -5.3C.

Senior Meteorologist from the Bureau Sarah Scully said areas closer to the coast did not get as low due to the warmer sea conditions which kept temperatures above freezing, but it was still a bitter start to the day for many, with most places in single digits.

❄️🥶Cold morning for much of #QLD with overnight temperatures 3-13 degrees below the May average as far north as Townsville (15 C) and Mackay Ap (6.9 C), with several subzero temperatures in the southeast. Slowly warming up from Wednesday. Forecasts: https://t.co/ZhiAztv3khpic.twitter.com/oeLgFZH9gm

— Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland (@BOM_Qld) May 9, 2023

“But these temperatures are still well below average for this time of year,” Ms Scully said.

Brisbane’s temperature fell to 7.8C, while it was 3.3C at the Sunshine Coast Airport and 7.5 at Redcliffe.

The Gold Coast reached 8.7C, with Coolangatta down to 3.8C.

Raffi Smith-Rogers, 5, rugs up from the cold at Noosaville. Picture Lachie Millard

Below average temperatures coupled with strong winds also shocked residents in central and northern Queensland areas, with the mercury falling as low as -0.6C in some parts.

In Gladstone, the temperature fell to 10.7C with the lowest apparent temperature of 6.1C at 6am while residents in nearby Biloela shivered through a low of -0.6 with an apparent temperature of -3.6C.

Further north in Rockhampton, the low at the airport was 12.0C with an apparent temperature low of 6.7C but in areas on the northside, such as Frenchville, the low was 9C.

On the Capricorn Coast, the minimum was 11.7C about 4am, with a colder ‘feels like’ temperature of 7.5C at 5.30am due to icy winds blowing in from the sea. As at 9.30am, the apparent temperature was still in single digits at Yeppoon.

Those living in the west also didn’t miss out on the cold snap, with lows of 2.9C (Blackwater), 5.8C (Clermont), 4.8C (Emerald), 3.1C (Rolleston, Longreach) and 1.1C at Blackall.

At St Lawrence on the coast between Rockhampton and Mackay, the low was 6.8C about 4am and it was just as cold at Mackay and Prosperpine with both recording lows of 6.9C. Usually humid Mackay had a ‘feels like’ temperature of 3.7C at 6.30am.

Even Townsville had a crisp start to the day, with the Bureau of Meteorology reporting a low of 15C compared to the May average of 18C.

It marks the second day in a row of a wintry blast in Queensland, with Brisbane expected to plummet to 8C, Gold Coast to drop to 10C and Toowoomba to record a chilly 3C.

Senior Bureau metrologist Harry Clark said South East Queenslanders should “rug up”, with Tuesday predicted to be the peak of the cold weather.

“A significant cold front will move through much of Southern Queensland over the next 24 hours,” Mr Clark said on Monday.

“It really is the first widespread cool day of the year, especially for Southern Queensland.

“On Monday we saw temperatures drop to -0.9C in Oakey around 6am.”

While the cold start to May is not unexpected, according to the Bureau, it has been one of the coldest starts to the month for several years.

“May is one of those transitions months where we can see spikes in different weather patterns,” Mr Clark said.

Raffi Smith-Rogers, 5, rugs up against the cold at Noosaville. Picture Lachie Millard

While Tuesday will be brisk, Wednesday will bring about warmer temperatures with a low of 12C and a high of 24C in Brisbane.

“Good news for those that don't like the cold is that we will see them start to ease around Wednesday as the wind flow turns a little bit more on shore; a slow warm-up from Wednesday,” Mr Clark said.

Noosa local Shona Smith, who recently moved from Melbourne with her family, said she was surprised by this week’s polar blast in the Sunshine Sate.

“It definitely isn’t that cold for us, but it was freezing this morning,” Ms Smith said.

“It got to the point where I thought about putting the heater on, which is just bizarre up here.”

Originally published as Queenslanders hit with another Antarctic blast, as temperatures fall well below zero