THE numbers are in and yes it was a cold start to the day. According to readings at Nobbys beach from Wednesday morning, it felt like the temperature had dropped below zero.
While the Bureau of Meteorology recorded an actual low of 4.6 degrees Celsius at 7am, the apparent temperature was a chilly minus 0.1. Further up the valley the mercury dropped to minus one in Maitland at 2am and minus five at 5.30am at Merriwa, in what was reportedly the coldest morning this year.
The turn was due to a high pressure system moving over NSW bringing cold and frosty conditions to much of the state as forecasters for the Bureau of Meteorology received anecdotal reports of between 15cm and 30cm of snow in alpine areas, though there have been scant reports of falls about the Hunter's highlands.
Cold air from the Southern Ocean is being blown across southeastern Australia, with the high pressure system reinforcing the chilly conditions, AAP reported on Tuesday.
The chill is likely to continue until the end of the week, but temperatures are set to rise above average in some areas over the weekend.
Sheep graziers across regional NSW have been put on alert, with a warning that sheep and lambs exposed to the tough conditions are at risk.
As cloudy themes dominate the forecast for the second-half of the week, the sun is not expected back until the weekend when temperatures climb slightly with maximums around 19 degrees.
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