Temperatures have plummeted to below-average across Australia, with the freezing conditions set to continue.
Canberra shivered through minus 5.6 degrees Celsius just before 6am on Tuesday, with drivers warned to take extreme care because of icy conditions on the road.
It was 1.3C in Sydney’s Penrith, 1.8C in the Melbourne suburb of Viewbank, and minus 3.9C at the Oakley defence site in Brisbane.
The mercury plummeted to minus 3.8C at Grove, southwest of Hobart, and 2.7C at Nuriootpa north of Adelaide.
It was 1.8C in Sydney on Monday, making it the coldest June morning on record.
However, that particular weather monitoring site was only established 12 years ago.
The Bureau of Meteorology received anecdotal reports of between 15cm and 30cm of snow in alpine areas, according to senior meteorologist Miriam Bradbury.
Temperatures plunged below zero in southern Queensland, with Oakey reaching minus 3.7C.
Elsewhere on the Darling Downs, Dalby reached minus 2.5C and Goondiwindi shivered at minus 0.9C.
Brisbane’s minimum was below 10C and the airport recorded 8.1C.
The state’s southeast is expected to post below-average temperatures under mostly clear skies for the rest of the week.
Cold air from the Southern Ocean is being blown across southeastern Australia, with a high-pressure system reinforcing the chilly conditions.
Ms Bradbury said temperatures are again tipped to dip below zero in parts of southeast Queensland, Tasmania and inland NSW and Victoria overnight.
The chill is likely to continue until the end of the week but temperatures are set to rise above average in some areas at the weekend.
Sheep graziers across regional NSW have been put on alert, with a warning sheep and lambs exposed to the tough conditions are at risk.
– AAP
