Prosper in a dynamic world
Search

Bitter wintry chill returning this weekend

A two-pronged burst of cold weather is heading the way of southeastern Australia, bringing the sort of chill that was largely missing during Australia’s warmest August on record.

A relatively weak cold front passing through Tasmania this Wednesday will flick just enough cold air northwards to drop max temps by four degrees or more in cities in the SE corner of the mainland:

  • Melbourne will drop from a max of 19°C on Wednesday to 15°C on Thursday.
  • Canberra will drop from a max of 21°C on Wednesday to 17°C on Thursday.
  • Sydney will drop from a max of 25°C on Wednesday to 19°C on Thursday.

But that’s just phase one of the return to wintry temperatures. On Sunday, a second surge of cold air will push onto the mainland as winds circulate around the high pressure centred over the Great Australian Bight.

Sunday maximum temps in the three cities just mentioned are expected to be:

  • Melbourne: 14°C
  • Canberra: 15°C
  • Sydney: 17°C

All three cities will no doubt feel a lot colder than the still-air temperatures due to blustery winds out of the south, with showers likely in both Sydney and Melbourne. Indeed the apparent temp (or “feels like temp”) is expected to be well below 10 degrees at midday in Sydney.

Meanwhile an exceptionally chilly morning can be expected at the top of Thredbo on Sunday, with a minimum of –8°C.

When the mercury dips that low overnight, it’s usually a sign of a dry airmass, and indeed any snow that falls on Saturday into Sunday morning will be short-lived, and definitely not enough to breathe life into the ailing ski season.

As the airmass continues to dry out, a cold start to Monday can be expected right across the southeast, with a minimum of 0°C in Canberra and a single-digit low in Sydney.

That’ll feel chilly for Sydneysiders, who probably threw the heavy doonas in the cupboard after a balmy minimum of 17.4°C on the last night of winter.

Weatherzone Business has grown to become the outright leader within the Australian energy market, serving wind, solar, hydro, trading, utilities and network companies.

You can’t control the weather, but you can gain precision insights to optimise your response. What lights us up is providing your energy business with tailored weather information to reduce your risk and keep you moving ahead of the curve. 

Our services cover all aspects – from wind and solar generation to demand forecasts, wholesale markets to retail so, no matter where your company sits, we have solutions for you. We have worked closely with market participants to create products that meet the evolving needs of the sector, aiming to increase safety and profitability for our customers. 

Benefit from the timely delivery of accurate weather information, allowing informed and effective decision-making. For more information, please visit our website or email us at apac.sales@dtn.com.

Latest news

Satisfy your weather obsession with these news headlines from around the nation, and the world.

Northern Australia’s 2024-25 wet season wrap up

Northern Australia’s 2024-25 wet season featured the busiest cyclone season in 19 years, latest monsoon onset on record and intense thunderstorm outbreaks. The northern Australia (north of 26°S) average wet season rainfall in 2024-25 was 21% above the 1961-1990 average. As seen in the rainfall deciles map below, this above average rainfall was driven by […]

Record dry start to year for South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania

Parts of South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania just endured their driest start to a year on record as a lack of early autumn rain worsened drought conditions in parts of all three states. High pressure systems have been dominating the weather patterns near southern Australia in recent months. These stubborn areas of high pressure, which […]

NEM’s highest solar generation ever

The National Energy Market (NEM) recorded its highest solar energy generation over the past summer as high pressure dominated southeastern Australia. Australia’s NEM has continued to implement more and more renewable energy sources into its network. Combined with favourable weather, both the summer of 2024-25 and the last quarter (January to March 2025) saw record […]

Indian heatwave relief on the way

Rain and thunderstorms are expected to spread over heatwave affected parts of northern India and Pakistan in the coming days, bringing much needed relief to people and infrastructure. Northwest India and Pakistan have been scorched by intense heat reaching well into the 40s over the past two weeks. The capital of India, New Delhi, had […]