Queensland to receive winter blast as freezing temperatures sweep east coast and blow north, with one town set for 1C chill
Chilly winter temperatures hitting the east coast of Australia this week are expected to be felt as far north as Queensland, with snow not off the cards for the mainland alpine region.
The town of Roma could see on overnight low on Thursday of 1C as a cold front pushes north from the south-east of the country into Queensland, with morning frost forecast for parts of the state's southern and central interior.
Sky News Weather Meteorologist Marina Neuman said temperatures are 'certainly going to be cold' across Queensland on overnight on Thursday, with Toowoomba looking set to clock 6C and Brisbane 11C.
'It won't be warming up much, even into the daytime' Neuman said.
The sweeping cold front will see temperatures plummet in eastern areas of the country this week, with frost possible for some parts of the south-east on Tuesday morning.
Neuman said the south-east is forecast to experience its coldest temperatures so far for 2025 on Tuesday and Wednesday.
'Meanwhile, a low off the northern New South Wales coast will push offshore early on Tuesday. A ridge developing in its wake will drive the cold and dry southerly air across Queensland for the remainder of the week,' Neuman said.
'The result will be areas of morning frost about the southern and central interior Thursday and Friday, with daytime temperatures dropping below average.'
Thursday overnight temperatures in Canberra are expected to drop as low as –3C, while Wangaratta in north-east Victoria could experience a nail biting –4C, with the chance of snow 'not completely out of the question'.
Neuman said a second weather system is then expected to bring even chillier daytime temperatures to the south-east heading into the weekend.
'A polar airmass looks to surge towards the south-east Saturday. Conditions will be favourable for snow in the highest parts of the mainland alpine region above about 1700m,' she said.
The Australian capital city is expected to see a low of just 1C on Tuesday, with a high of 17C, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
Across the state capitals on Tuesday, the BOM forecasts lows of 11C for Sydney, 10C in Melbourne, 15C in Brisbane, 13C in Perth, 10C in Adelaide, and a chilly 5C for Hobart.
The BOM said in its long-range winter forecast issued last week that temperatures are likely to be average across the country for this time of year as the season kicks in.
'Winter rainfall is likely to be above average for interior and central parts of the country. For parts of Australia's tropical north, the south-east and the south-west, rainfall is expected to be in the typical winter range. Typical rainfall means there's a roughly equal possibility for these areas to receive above, below or near-average rainfall,' the forecast said.
This includes parts of South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania which have been affected by prolonged dry conditions as well as parts of NSW recently impacted by severe flooding.
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