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ABC News
National
weather reporter Tyne Logan

Easter cold snap forecast for southern Australia, with warm sunny weather likely along east coast

Parts of southern Australia could drop to their coldest temperatures of the year this Easter long weekend. (Supplied: Rob Hills)

Parts of southern Australia could experience their coolest temperatures of the year this Easter, as a series of cold fronts trundle across the country.

But for those making their way to the east coast, north of Sydney, it's looking sunny, fine and warm for the start of the long weekend.

No matter where you're spending the weekend, here's what the Easter forecast is looking like so far across Australia.

New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory

Coming off the back of a wet start to the week, the east coast of New South Wales looks set to clear by Good Friday.   

Warm and mostly sunny days peaking in the high 20s are forecast for Friday and Saturday for regions north of Sydney, as westerly winds drag warm air across the country from central Australia.

Temperatures will begin to cool from Sunday with the potential for a few showers toward the north-east.

But for inland NSW and the ACT the mercury looks set to plummet by the time the Easter bunny has arrived, with temperatures toward the south-east of the state up to 10 degrees Celsius below average.

Warm and mostly sunny weather will stretch up the east coast of Australia this Easter, particularly on Saturday and Sunday. (Supplied: Royal Agricultural Society of NSW)

Orange is forecast to reach a top of just 11C on Sunday, while Goulburn peaks at 13C and Canberra 14C.

Victoria

If you're going camping in Victoria, make sure to pack the winter gear and some water-proofing.

Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Dean Narramore said a series of cold-fronts would arrive in south-eastern parts of the country just in time for Easter.

"And that's going to bring showers, gusty winds and colder conditions to South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania and southern New South Wales on Friday, Saturday and Sunday," he said.

Rainfall forecasts show showers hitting almost the entire state over the weekend, away from the north-west.

Rain is forecast for the south-east of Australia and tropical north from 7th to 10th April, while the rest of the country is mostly dry. (Supplied: BoM)

At this stage it looks like showers, strong winds and the odd storm — but no severe weather.

In Melbourne, Good Friday will be warm but showery, with a top of 24C.

But cold air coming in behind the cold-front will drop the temperatures to 19C on Saturday and a chilly 15C on Sunday.

Temperatures across the remainder of the state are expected to be between 4C and 8C on Sunday.

Queensland

Across Queensland the weather is looking warm and sunny for the first half of the weekend.

Top temperatures will hover around the 30C mark throughout the weekend across the Brisbane's CBD, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast and the Central Queensland Coast.

There is the potential for a shower or two by Sunday along the south-east coast, and light showers scattered through the central and north-west.

But on the whole, the long-weekend looks dry for most.

In the far-north, isolated showers and storms are expected around the Cape York Peninsula with warm tops in the mid 30s from Friday to Sunday.

South Australia

The cooler weather will make its way across South Australia too, particularly by Saturday and Sunday.

Mr Narramore said southern parts of the state could see some of their coldest temperatures of the year so far.

The maximum temperature is only expected to reach 18C in Adelaide on Saturday and 17C in Robe on Sunday.

The weekend will also be marked by grey skies with showers most likely along south-coastal parts of the state on Saturday.

It will be a showery start to the long weekend on South Australia's Yorke Peninsula. (Supplied: ABC My Photo contributor @travelsbylight)

Mr Narramore said the wet weather would begin to ease from Sunday.

"But the cold conditions are probably lingering there, because we're going to have southerly winds across much of the country," he said.

Western Australia

Good Friday is forecast to be particularly cool for the southern half of Western Australia, with temperatures 4 to 10C below average for April.

Showers are also on the cards on Friday, mostly south of Perth, as a cold front sweeps across the South West Land Division.

The cool and wet weather will gradually ease as the weekend goes on, with showers only lingering along the south-coast.

The Pinnacles National Park is a popular Easter road-trip destination in Western Australia (Supplied: ABC Open contributor Vinnie Prestom)

Meanwhile, in the northern half of the state there is very little in the way of wet-season rain or storms this long weekend, apart from possible showers and storms in the east Kimberley.

But temperatures will remain high, with Broome forecast to reach 35C on Saturday and Sunday.

Tasmania

Tasmania also looks set for grey, showery skies come the Easter long weekend.

Good Friday will start off showery and mild, with temperatures dropping rapidly and wet weather continuing as the weekend goes on.

The overnight temperature in Hobart will fall into the single digits by Sunday, peaking at just 15C.

Showers will be most prominent in the north of the state, with Launceston set for a good drink on Friday and Saturday.

Northern Territory

In the top end, wet season storms will gradually increase by the weekend as moisture feeds into the region.

Showers and possible storms are forecast for Darwin, with rainfall of anywhere between 0 and 20 millimetres likely on Saturday.

But the rest of the state looks mostly sunny with temperatures in the high 20s to low 30s across the weekend.

An average to slightly warmer Friday across the NT will gradually be replaced by a cooler air mass spreading across the southern half of the state later in the weekend.

By Sunday large parts of the state, south of the Daly region, are forecast to be between 2C and 4C cooler than normal.

It has been raining on the rock in recent days, but central Australia looks mild and sunny this Easter weekend. (ABC Weather: Kate Doyle)
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