Freezing cold snap will last until WEDNESDAY after an Antarctic front swept across Australia dropping temperatures to zero tonight with widespread snow
- Australia’s southeast experiencing a blast of wintry weather over the weekend
- Multiple cold fronts are sweeping across Victoria and NSW into next week
- Cold snap expected to ease by Wednesday and warmer weather for the weekend
- Canberra reached -5C on Sunday and will have a chilly night at zero degrees
A freezing cold snap will continue to batter Australia’s southeast until Wednesday when the weather is expected to ease and return to more bearable temperatures.
Canberra woke up to a blast of icy weather on Sunday morning as the mercury clocked just -5.4C and our capital city is expected to reach 0C later tonight.
The Bureau of Meteorology said while Canberra experienced its coldest day of the year so far, a series of cold fronts sweeping across the country have left many states grabbling with colder-than-usual temperatures.
Canberra woke up to a blast of icy weather on Sunday morning as the mercury clocked just -5.4C (pictured: people riding bikes in Canberra)
The cold weather across eastern states is expected to ease on Wednesday (pictured: cold snap in Sydney)
‘Perisher Valley near the Snowy Mountains in New South Wales had the coldest weather on Sunday at – 9.5C and almost 95km away in Cooma temperatures reached – 9.6C,’ Meteorologist Dean Marramore said.
Mr Marramore told Daily Mail Australia that Victoria, inland New South Wales and Southern Queensland had cold mornings and below zero temperatures that are expected to last until Wednesday.
‘All eastern states can expect to experience temperatures two to six degrees below average on Monday and Tuesday before above average temperatures will return on Wednesday,’ Mr Marramore said.
‘The warmer weather is expected to arrive by the weekend with temperatures reaching two or three degrees above average.’
Perisher resort in Australia’s alpine region reached 9.5C on Sunday claiming the coldest temperatures across Australia (pictured)
The cold burst is expected ease on Wednesday temperatures becoming more stable next week. Pictured: A snow-covered visitor to the Mt Buller resort in eastern Victoria this week
Melbourne residents woke up to hail cover in the city on Saturday (pictured)
Sydney is expected to enjoy mostly sunny weather throughout the week as maximum temperatures reach 21C on Wednesday, with possible showers on Friday.
Tasmania is also expected to heat up around the middle of the week with maximum temperatures reaching 18C on Wednesday and Thursday.
Mr Marramore said the worst of Adelaide’s weather is behind them and the state is set to reach mid to high teens by Monday with sunny or partly cloudy conditions throughout the week.
A suburban Melbourne street covered in hail on Saturday morning after a cold front swept through the city (pictured)
The cold snap that saw snow fall in Brindabella, NSW (pictured) is set to ease on Wednesday
But Darwin is expected to have sunny conditions for the week and months ahead.
‘Alice Springs might have a light frost in the southern parts of the region but it will heat up throughout the week and beyond,’ Mr Marramore said.
Perth is ready for a warm and sunny week with temperatures set to peak at 27C – two to eight degrees above average for the week.
BoM weather map shows the cold front moving over Victoria and Tasmania bringing cold, wet and windy weather (pictured)
The slow transition into warmer weather comes as Australia was hit with a cold snap over the weekend with Victoria waking up to a blast of icy weather on Saturday with snow in the Dandenongs and hail in Melbourne.
The chilly weather in the Victorian capital continued throughout the day with the mercury sitting at just 12C by 3pm, marking it the coldest day of the year for the city.
The Bureau of Meteorology said a series of cold fronts sweeping across the state from the Great Australian Bight – the strongest on Friday night – was causing the cold weather.
Snow falling at Perisher on Saturday as staff gear up to the start of the ski season just under a month (pictured)
The Australian alps are set for a particularly good snow cover in 2021 with about 25cm falling in the last week (pictured)