Maybe one more sleep will be missing, but winter will no doubt begin with a vengeance. If you haven’t given in yet and grabbed the warm blankets, now is the time.
Key points:
- Temperatures are expected to be 3-6 ºC below average as cold air rises to the east coast.
- Snow is expected to drop to 600 m from Tasmania to central NSW
- Trees and power lines could fall as destructive winds hit the regions after months of heavy rains
A strong cold front and associated casualties are wreaking havoc on destructive winds, low snow, rain and freezing temperatures in the southeast of the continent.
After devastating South Australia on Monday night, with record rainfall and even a tornado in the northern suburbs of Adelaide, the system continued west yesterday.
But even with the main front escaping the coast, there is a long way to go.
After a windy night on the east coast, especially in southern Queensland and northern New South Wales overnight, harmful winds were expected in Melbourne on Tuesday.
A house in the northern suburbs of Adelaide was damaged on Sunday when a storm ravaged the city. (ABC News: Brant Cumming)
“On Tuesday night we will see some of the damaging winds persist, including through Sydney and south to Mallacoota,” Jackson Browne of the Meteorological Office said.
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Strong westerly winds were expected to continue to fuel the Great Division until Wednesday, providing another night of harmful winds on the east coast, especially south of New South Wales.
With so much flooding on the east coast, trees and power lines were expected to be especially vulnerable to falling or sinking.
People were advised to be careful and follow the instructions of the local emergency services.
Some freezing centers
The office predicted that maximum temperatures would drop 3 to 6 degrees Celsius below the May average to southern Queensland and the Northern Territory.
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But with the wind it would get even colder.
Canberra was forecast to drop to -2ºC on Thursday between 0ºC lows on Wednesday and Friday.
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Wagga Wagga was expected to barely stay above freezing with a low of 1C on Thursday.
From Tuesday to Saturday, Charlotte Pass was only expected to reach above freezing once, reaching 1C on Thursday and dropping to negative 6C on Wednesday and Friday nights.
On the other side of the border, Shepparton and Gisborne were expected to tremble until 1C on Thursday.
Daytime temperatures are expected to be below average in the center of the country this winter. (Supplied by: Meteorological Office)
Snow, big waves will come
The snow level was expected to drop to 600 meters from Tasmania to the central highlands of New South Wales on Wednesday.
“At alpine resorts, they are observing between 20 and 50 centimeters of snow accumulation,” Browne said.
Perisher Ski Resort received a snowfall on Monday. (Facebook: Perisher Resort)
“Then areas like Mount Macedonia, Dandenongs, Canberra, Brindabellas, Orange, Bathurst and Katoomba could see some gusts of snow as this system makes its way.”
The wind was not the only one that was lifted by the current system: the south coast was expecting big waves above the astronomical tide.
Australians were asked to be careful with the water and keep up to date with the latest warnings on ABC Emergency.
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Posted 3 hours, 3 hours ago, Monday, May 30, 2022 at 8:06 PM, updated 2 minutes ago, 2 minutes ago, Monday, May 30, 2022 at 11:28 PM