Winter weather sets in across country as frost, heavy rain loom

Areas of the country are seeing frosty conditions as temperatures plummet, with Western Australia warned of intense rainfall as winter makes a bold entrance.

Millions of Australians have been warned of frosty conditions as the west braces for an influx of heavy rain and an “extreme winter”.

As winter officially rolls in, the east coast has seen a marked drop in temperatures, with frosty mornings forecast for inland NSW and Victoria.

Canberra will drop to -1 overnight on Saturday into Sunday, with the mercury in Brisbane expected to plummet well below average for this time of year.

Sky News meteorologist Marina Neuman said parts of the nation, particularly the north east of Victoria and alpine regions of NSW were in for a chilly few months.

“Looking at an 80 per cent chance for an extreme winter that means temperatures below average so very likely that we see those very temperatures continue as we head into the official start of winter,” she said.

Much of inland NSW and Victoria will see frosty conditions Saturday and Sunday morning. Picture: Willy Weather

Bureau of Meteorology meteorologist Angus Hines, said rain falling in southeast Queensland, and southern WA is partitioned by a high pressure system slashing across the southeast of the country this weekend.

Areas between the Sunshine Coast and Rockhampton are expected to see heavy rainfall on Saturday, with the wet weather to hit as far inland as Roma and Toowoomba.

Ms Neuman said the seven day rainfall total could hit about 50 millimetres.

“That’s going to be from Roma to Toowoomba, the Gold Coast, and then all the way up to Rockhampton,” she said.

“We’re also seeing Port Macquarie with the chance for even 30mms there. So some decent totals are expected from this system before it finally clears out.”

Most of NSW is set for a clear and chilly weekend, as the mercury hovers around zero in inland areas.

“When it comes to rainfall, we could see a little, but in the north of the state, around the mid-north coast and the northern rivers, and perhaps across those northern border ranges,” Mr Hines said.

The north coast of NSW is still in the midst of recovery after heavy rainfall decimated the area, rendering hundreds of homes and commercial buildings uninhabitable and causing millions of dollars in damage.

In inland Victoria, there was frost on Saturday morning with the mostly clear skies providing no insulation.

But there is no rain on the radar for drought stricken farmers. On Friday, the Victorian government put pause to a protest-inducing new tax on farmers, plus stumped up an extra $37m in drought relief funds.

The coldest spot in the country on Saturday morning was Horsham Airport, with the thermometer plunging to -3 degrees at 8am, but a ‘feels like’ temperature of -5.4.

Winter weather has officially taken hold. Picture: NewsWire / Ian Currie

On Saturday morning, Launceston residents woke to 0 degrees at 7am, but weather stations across the city were recording the ‘feels like’ temperature as -2.1 degrees.

South Australia has clear skies too, with maximum temperatures hovering around 20 degrees with minimums in the mid-single digits. The entire southern half of WA will see scattered showers before midday on Saturday. South-easterly winds are bringing relatively cool temperatures across the Northern Territory.

On Sunday, Brisbane is the only capital city forecast to see any rain, even then just a smattering.

A large weather system is hovering to the west of WA, which could make its presence known by Monday.

“The next big weather system is brewing off the west coast, that will make an impact on Monday. Hopefully some good news for some areas which have been pretty dry through the year so far,” Mr Hines said.

Ms Neuman said the system could last into Wednesday, and would bring a “dramatic drop in temperature and some strong winds”.

Most parts of WA will see 50mm rainfall totals across seven days, with up to 100mm forecast from Busselton to the south of Geraldton.

Originally published as Winter weather sets in across country as frost, heavy rain loom