A cold snap will signal the arrival of winter for much of Australia’s south-east, with temperatures set to drop up to 8C below average over the weekend.
A vigorous cold front over the coming days will bring down temperatures across Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Hobart, with frosty mornings expected until at least Tuesday.
Temperatures will drop between 2 and 8C below the May average, with a rain band moving through with the front, making it feel colder than it is.
The Bureau of Meteorology is also forecasting some gusty winds, particularly across Tasmania and southern Victoria on Saturday, and along the New South Wales coast on Sunday.
Senior meteorologist at the Bureau, Miriam Bradbury said the conditions will likely signify the proper start of winter for much of the south-east.
“Even if the temperature is sitting at 12C, the ‘feels like’ temperature could be considerably lower, possibly in the single digits there, and feeling very wintry indeed.”
“For a lot of people in the south-east this is certainly going to feel like the start of winter,” she said.
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Temperatures in Melbourne are set to remain low across the weekend, with maximums of only 13C degrees over Saturday and Sunday, and a minimum of 7C on Sunday.
Showers are also forecast all the way through to Wednesday, with temperatures maxing out at only 16C over that period.
Temperatures are also set to drop in Sydney, with minimums of 9C and 10C over Saturday and Sunday, with showers forecast for Sunday likely making it feel even colder.
Canberra is forecast to face freezing temperatures over the same period, with a minimum of -2C expected on Monday, and with minimums remaining below 2C until Thursday.
Snowfalls are also forecast across alpine regions in the south-east from Friday, with Bradbury saying snow levels are expected to lower to around 400 metres in Tasmania and 700 metres in Victoria on Saturday.
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In NSW, snow is possible on Sunday at around 800-900 metres across the ranges west of Sydney.
In Hobart, the Bureau is forecasting minimum temperatures of only 5C and 3C over the weekend, with maximums of 13C and 12C.
Showers are also forecast for the city every day through to Wednesday, with temperatures not climbing above 15C until Thursday.
But Bradbury added that the snowfall was not expected to be very heavy due to the lack of precipitation.
“What it means is we’ll likely see some snow about these peaks down to these lower levels, but it’s unlikely to be a heavy blanket. It’s more likely to be just a bit more likely across Tasmania and Victoria, but less likely the further north we go,” she said.
Bradbury said the NSW coast could also expect some southerly winds to bring “big swells” across the southern and central coast in particular.
“We could see gale warnings, possibly even more across those marine areas. We may see hazardous surf warnings issued. It’s going to be fairly dangerous conditions out on the water through the later part of the weekend,” she said.