Australians are bracing for the autumn sun to come to a sudden halt this weekend as a cold blast of air sweeps across the country and the mercury plunges to -5C.
The Bureau of Meteorology has warned a cold front is moving eastwards across the south-east coast – bringing icy, wet and snowy conditions to millions of residents.
The chilly conditions will last four days and affect New South Wales, South Australia, the ACT, Victoria and Tasmania, the bureau said.
Sub-zero temperatures are expected to hit Tasmania, with snow to hit areas with an elevation as low of 500m.
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The cold burst is expected to last the weekend with temperatures becoming more stable next week. Pictured: A snow-covered visitor to the Mt Buller resort in eastern Victoria this week
A cold front is moving eastwards across the south-east coast – bringing icy, wet and snowy conditions to millions of residents
The bureau said snow will likely fall in Victoria and New South Wales in areas with an elevation of 700m and 900m respectively.
Lower than average temperatures have been predicted for the next few days, as a trough and cold front cross the southeast.
Luke Johnston from the Bureau of Meteorology told Daily Mail Australia the weather system would hit Tasmania the hardest.
A Weatherzone temperature map showed a channel of cold air forecast to pass Tasmania on the western side at Saturday at 1pm.
But the meteorologist said the south-east of the mainland will share the same frontal system, with another cold front to hit on Sunday.
‘The cold burst is going to last the weekend, but during next week things are becoming more stable and will be dominated by high pressure systems’, he said.
A Weatherzone temperature map showed a channel of cold air forecast to pass Tasmania on the western side at Saturday at 1pm
The Bureau of Meteorology warned of a cold snap sweeping across the east coast this weekend, due to set in on Friday evening
Snow will likely fall in Victoria and New South Wales in areas with an elevation of 700m and 900m respectively. Sub-zero temperatures are expected to hit Tasmania, with snow to hit areas with an elevation as low of 500m
The first in a series of cold fronts crossed Victoria on Thursday, with further fronts hitting early on Friday, Saturday and Monday.
Victorians should brace for showers throughout the weekend, with moderate to strong winds and a potential thunderstorm to hit the south coast on Saturday.
Residents in NSW and the ACT will need to rug up this weekend as a high pressure system near Western Australia continues to drift east.
‘A cold front will skim across the state’s south tonight and Friday, followed by a second front on Saturday bringing markedly cooler conditions to the region’, the Bureau said.
Residents have been told to rug up this weekend as a ‘wintery blast’ travels towards parts of NSW. Pictured: an overcast Melbourne sky this week
Sydney will see temperatures dip below 10C over the weekend, as will Melbourne, Adelaide, and Hobart.
Canberra could see temperatures plummet as low as -5C in the CBD on Sunday as the cold front moves across the nation’s capital.
The Northern Territory and Perth will see average temperatures throughout the week.
A ‘blizzard’ has lashed Australia’s ski resorts on Tuesday night as the nation is plunged into an early winter
The stormy weather experienced at the start of the week came as millions of Australians were plunged into an early winter.
In the Bureau’s outlook for June to August, rainfall this winter is expected to be above average for most of inland Australia but will remain drier than average in western WA and northern QLD.
Winter days are likely to be warmer in the north and the south, while winter nights are likely to be warmer than average across the country.
Both Thredbo and Perisher ski resorts received a 10cm dump of snow at their village level alone, with much deeper powder at the top of the runs.
Temperatures fell to near zero, but even colder weather will see massive snowfall across the NSW snowy mountains over the weekend.
Experts are predicting a strong system moving across the area over the weekend, which could result in another huge snow dump to the area.
THE WEEKEND FORECAST IN YOUR CITY
Sydney:
Saturday – Min 10 – Max 18 – Mostly sunny
Sunday – Min 7 – Max 18 – Sunny
Melbourne:
Saturday – Min 8 – Max 13 – Showers easing
Sunday – Min 8 – Max 13 – Mostly cloudy
Brisbane:
Saturday – Min 12 – Max 24 – Sunny
Sunday – Min 12 – Max 24 – Partly cloudy
Perth:
Saturday – Min 14 – Max 24 – Cloudy
Sunday – Min 15 – Max 27 – Cloudy
Adelaide:
Saturday – Min 10 – Max 17 – Cloudy
Sunday – Min 8 – Max 17 – Possible shower.
Hobart:
Saturday – Min 5 – Max 11 – Shower or two
Sunday – Min 6 – Max 14 – Shower or two
Canberra:
Saturday – Min 2 – Max 12 – Partly Cloudy
Sunday – Min -5 – Max 13 – Morning frost. Mostly sunny
