It was as if a switch had been turned on.
After the Melburnians spent a series of warmer-than-normal days in May, it plummeted to less than 12 degrees Celsius for three consecutive days.
And it started before the Australian winter officially arrived.
Last year, it took until July before the first maximum sub-12 degrees. And it was an isolated day.
The maximum long-term average for June is 14.1ºC.
Fluffy jackets and coats are back in full force. (ABC News: Peter Drought)
While most people quickly had to prepare a winter closet and began to wonder what the highest heating bills would mean this year for the family budget, the ski resorts rejoiced when arrive a major snow dump after two disappointing seasons affected by the blockades.
The snowfall earlier than usual (about 50 centimeters on the ground) caused the main resorts to open a week before the traditional holiday weekend of the queen’s birthday.
“Everyone is excited to be back on our mountain,” Falls Creek spokeswoman Jessie Neale said when the slopes officially opened on Saturday.
The high country of Victoria welcomes skiers after two years of pandemic restrictions. (Facebook: Shazlick Blair)
Meteorological Bureau forecaster Jonathan How said skiers saw a great start to the season over the weekend, with an even bigger snow forecast for this week.
“For the snow bunnies and the snow lovers out there, it’s great news,” he said.
“We’ve seen some very healthy snowfall over the last seven days, and we expect at least half a meter more over the next few days.”
After a slight break for Melbourne on Saturday, where the mercury hit a relatively mild high of 14.6 degrees Celsius, on Sunday there were showers and a high of 13.7 degrees Celsius.
Frozen temperatures, rain and wind are expected this week as Victoria leaves autumn behind. (Facebook: Nicole Bates)
Colder weather will come, with another deep low-pressure polar system to rise from near Antarctica and cross Tasmania until earlier this week, with a procession of cold fronts to cross the state.
“Unfortunately, it will be cold, humid and windy for the rest of the week,” Mr How said.
“We expect temperatures to be two to five degrees below average for this time of year until at least the rest of the week.”
Temperatures in southern Victoria will remain low for teenagers throughout the week, with Melbourne only expected to reach 11 ° C on Tuesday.
There will be a small hailstorm and also a strong wind.
Ominous storm clouds surrounded Cape Schanck on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula on Saturday. (Provided by: Ainsley Morthorpe)
And if your backyard tank isn’t full yet, expect another 15 to 20 millimeters of rain.
The eastern suburbs could reach up to 30 millimeters.
As for the long weekend of the queen’s birthday, Mr. How said not to bet on a sunny start.
“We’ll start to see some blue sky possibly coming back on Sunday, most likely Monday,” he said.
“Until then, a cold week is definitely waiting for us.”