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A snap of freezing cold is gripping the southeastern states, with temperatures plummeting and icy winds making it feel like winter.
Daytime temperatures are expected to remain significantly below average through Saturday, particularly in Tasmania, the mountainous and southern areas of Victoria, and parts of coastal New South Wales.
A cold snap is gripping the southeastern states, with temperatures plummeting and freezing winds making it feel like winter.
“The message to you in the south-east is: ‘Sorry, summer isn’t here yet,'” Sky News meteorologist Alison Osborne said.
Frosty mornings are likely in parts of the NSW ranges into the weekend.
The cold snap is driven by multiple weather systems that interact to create persistent southerly winds over the southeast.
While most of the region will remain cool through the weekend, good news is on the way as warmer weather is likely to arrive early to mid next week.
It comes after Melbourne recorded its coldest summer day in 16 years on Thursday.
Melbourne’s maximum temperature of 15.8°C was the lowest on record for summer since 2006, while the mercury dipped to -5.4°C at Mt Hotham on the state’s coldest summer day.
Perisher Ski Resort still had snow on the slopes on December 12
Persistent southerly winds and an overwhelming low pressure system meant four capitals had minimum temperatures below 10C, including Canberra, where residents had to deal with temperatures as low as 1C early Thursday.
Frost appeared throughout the ACT, as well as in the Victorian Highlands and parts of the Tasmanian Central Tablelands.
Meanwhile, snow fell throughout the week in the Tasmanian Alps and Highlands as the polar air pulse progressed.
It can even accumulate deep enough for skiing in the summer.
Summer snow is favored by freezing conditions in Antarctica, and it takes months for the waters around the continent to warm up after a cold winter.
This creates conditions to produce Australian snow in December.
Even though warmer weather is forecast for the next week, WeatherZone Forecasters say it will be cooler than average in the coming weeks and warn that rain will hit several Australian states and territories on Christmas Day.
“There is quite a bit of disagreement over where and how much rain will fall on December 25,” a spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.
“There is too much uncertainty in the model to know in detail what the weather will be like in any of the Australian capitals on Christmas Day. However, it is currently unlikely that any capital city will exceed 40c on December 25, and some cities could be colder than average.
Australia also in the firing line for a gusty summer of ‘severe thunderstorms’.
Meteorologist James Rout told Daily Mail Australia that the extra heat of summer makes it the peak season for severe thunderstorms, particularly in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.
He said these states are in line to deal with both cold-front thunderstorms and individual rotating storms.
“Any of them can produce damaging wind gusts and bring down trees and damage buildings, as well as large hail that can damage cars and break roofs, and heavy rain that can cause flash flooding,” Rout said.
Persistent southerly winds and a sweeping low pressure system meant four capital cities had minimum temperatures below 10C
“They get hit by severe storms every summer, so as usual there will be a few types of severe thunderstorms.”
Despite the prediction for the populous states on the east coast, forecasters believe another part of Australia will experience more storms during the summer due to a monsoon.
“I think northern Australia will get the most thunderstorms: the Kimberley region of Western Australia, the top end of the Northern Territory and northern Queensland,” Rout said.
The ongoing rainy season in the north will bring severe storms, heavy rains and tropical cyclones over the oceans, Rout added.
The weather in South Australia and in the southern parts of Western Australia paints a different picture during the summer, as there is usually not enough moisture in the air to create severe thunderstorms.
“If they can get moisture they can produce storms, there are thunderstorms in Western Australia at the moment, they’re not severe, they’re also more isolated,” he said.
‘They can still be serious but less frequent [in these areas].’