The most powerful cold front in five years will sweep across two-thirds of Australia on Saturday, bringing strong winds, showers, hail and snow.
In every Australian state and territory barring Western Australia temperatures will drop by 3-7C below average, Weatherzone reported. The chilly conditions will ease on Wednesday.
Canberra can expect a maximum temperature of only 8C during the four-day cold spell, which hasn’t been seen in the nation’s capital since 2009. Every morning throughout July has so far dropped below zero.
Sydney locals will experience highs of 15C with minimum temperatures hovering at 8C – the coldest four-day period in two years.
Snow is forecast to hit several regions of New South Wales, including the Blue Mountains west of Sydney and Barrington Tops near the Hunter Valley, 200km north of Sydney.
Meteye shows the likely areas of #snow for #NSW this weekend, extending to #QLD border. http://t.co/1yxAIPrpyJ pic.twitter.com/j8uez8dROd
— BOM New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) July 9, 2015
The temperature drop will be welcome on the country’s snowfields, with the first flurries expected to hit higher ground by Thursday evening and blizzard conditions forecast over the weekend.
By the end of the weekend a 20 to 40cm layer of “eagerly awaited” fresh snow will cover the alpine region, Weatherzone said, “with the heavier stuff favouring Victorian resorts”.
The cold conditions will also include showers in some parts of the country, including northern South Australia and southern Queensland. They are expected to be heaviest in east Victoria and south-east NSW, which could get more than 50mm of rain.
Wind and, in some places, hail “will add to an already exceptional chill, making the actual temperature feel as much as 5C colder”, Weatherzone reported.
Areas prone to frost should be alerted to its likelihood come early next week, when a high pressure system will cause the snowy, showery weather to clear.
