Winter has arrived with a vengeance across south-eastern Australia, with a cold front bringing wind, showers, hail and storms – and it’s about to get worse.
Forecaster Weatherzone said snow was “absolutely chucking down” in the Australian high country on Monday morning, with heavier falls expected later in the day.
“This Monday’s snowfall is the real deal,” Weatherzone said, after a disappointing opening weekend for many Australian skifields on the King’s Birthday long weekend.
“Conceivably, it could deliver considerably more than 20 centimetres of fresh powder by Tuesday morning.”
There was also a wind warning for the Snowy Mountains, including Thredbo, on Monday. Winds of 80-90km/h were expected, with peak gusts of more than 125km/h forecast.
More snow is also likely in the alpine regions of Victoria, NSW and Tasmania.
“With Victorian public school holidays starting this coming weekend and NSW public school holidays commencing the week after, this is very, very good news for businesses in the snowfields, as well as anyone who loves a snowy slide,” Weatherzone said.
NSW resort Thredbo will officially open for skiing and snowboarding, after “multiple nights” of blizzards, and a further 40 centimetres of snow forecast this week.
As millions across southern NSW, the ACT, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania shiver, there is worse to come this week.
The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast temperatures to fall as low as -3 degrees in Canberra on Tuesday morning, followed by -4 degrees on Wednesday. The national capital was forecast to reach a chilly maximum of just 10 degrees on Monday, followed by 11 on each of the next two days.
Sydney was enjoying clear skies and a top of 18 on Monday. Tuesday and Wednesday were forecast to have minimums of 7 and 6 degrees, with tops of 16.
It is also cold in Victoria, with Melbourne expected to reach only a maximum of 11 on Monday. Tuesday morning will begin with a low of 5, before rising only two 12 degrees – while Wednesday will sink as low as 4 degrees.
As Victorians shivered in the early winter chill, there was a warning for frost across much of the state.
“Frosts with temperatures down to -2 degrees are forecast for Tuesday morning in parts of the Mallee, Wimmera, northern country, north central, north east, south west, central, west and South Gippsland and East Gippsland forecast districts,” the BOM said on Monday.
Tweet from @BOM_au
Hobart residents are enduring a similar chill, with the southern capital only just cracking double figures on Monday. It will fall to 4 degrees overnight, before rising again to 12; the next two nights will be even colder at 3 degrees.
“Bush walkers are advised that snow as low as 500 metres is expected during Monday and to 700 metres Tuesday morning,” the bureau warned Tasmanians.
“These hazardous conditions are expected to occur in parts of the western and Central Plateau forecast districts.”
It is slightly warmer in Adelaide, with lows of about 8 or 9 degrees and highs in the mid-teens.
Queenslanders were to bask in 23 degrees in Brisbane on Monday, with coming days in the low 20s.
It will be cooler in the Granite Belt, however, with temperatures sinking to below zero in Warwick and Stanthorpe. They will get as high as 16-18 degrees during the day.
There are also wind warnings for the Sunshine and Gold coasts.
