Millions of Aussies to shiver through a frosty weekend after temperatures plummet
Baby, it's cold outside!
If you found it difficult to get out of bed and brave the cold on Friday, you're not alone. Temperatures barely climbed above zero in many cities and towns around the country this morning, and even regions not usually associated with cold weather couldn't escape the wintery conditions.
Burketown on the Gulf coast in north Queensland dropped to 6.8 degrees, its lowest recorded June temperature since 2007. It was 5.2 degrees in Brisbane, the city's coldest June day since 2014. On the Gold Coast, where people go to escape the winter, it got as cold as 2.4 degrees.
Just west of Brisbane at Oakey, near Toowoomba, temperatures dropped to -5.1 degrees, the coldest June day in 15 years. Glen Innes in northern NSW dropped to -6.5 degrees, while it was -5.5 in Canberra, 2.6 at Melbourne Airport and 2.3 at Hobart Airport.
Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Jonathan How told Yahoo News a dominant, slow moving high pressure system sitting over eastern Australia is to blame for the cold weather.
'When it is so slow moving it means days and days of very clear skies and very dry air,' How said. 'The combination of that means there is plenty of cooling once the sun goes down and temperatures are able to plummet.
'So we are stuck with this very slow ridge of high pressure and it's sticking around over the weekend as well.'
Queenslanders in particular were taken by surprise at the frost many of them woke to on Friday and shared pictures online. Chris McFerran shared aerial photos from the Warwick region, southwest of Queensland, where a frost covered vast paddocks. He said it was as cold as -3.7 degrees in Warwick and -5 degrees near Stanthorpe.
Aussies in eastern, central and southern parts of the country will see more cold mornings and frost over the weekend and into next week. How said the minimum overnight temperatures will start to rise from Monday.
Those in Adelaide and the Eyre and Yorke Peninsulas will get some showers on Saturday, before a stronger cold front brings more showers and strong winds to the southern states on Monday.
Residents in South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania, ACT and southern parts of NSW will wake to single-digit temperatures for the next seven days at least.
Conditions remain ideal for skiing and snowboarding in Australia's alpine regions. Freezing temperatures will be suitable for snowmaking, but How said the next snowfall is not expected until Sunday night or Monday morning.
As many Aussies look for ways to tackle the cold, a warning has been issued after a home was accidentally set on fire by bed sheets drying in front of a wood heater.
The family had set up the sheets on a clotheshorse inside the living room of their home in Tatura, Victoria, when it caught alight in less than an hour and quickly spread across the room and into the ceiling.
The heat was so strong it blew out several windows in the kitchen, Tatura Fire Brigade Captain and Incident Controller Peter Bevan said.
'There is extensive damage to the living area, and the curtains and carpets are all destroyed. The smoke managed to affect 80 per cent of the house," he said.
He said the incident serves as a reminder to residents to keep items drying at least one metre away from all heating sources.
CFA Chief Officer Jason Heffernan said it shows just how quickly accidents can happen — even if the residents are home.
'It goes without saying, but please reconsider where you place your washing to dry. It's a popular set up to place them near our heaters and wood fires, but it's a mistake that can be easily avoided.'
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