Hi, working from home with my jacket and scarf on my knee with a hot water bottle. No, it’s not just you, it’s really cold.
A large winter air “tongue” has escaped from Antarctica and moved through southeastern Australia, producing a cold front conveyor belt since late May, says Weatherzone meteorologist Ben Domensino . “This extended period of time comes from the ice sheets of Antarctica.”
A cold weather pattern is not uncommon at this time of year. Swirling air currents over Antarctica often move from north to south, meaning cold air escapes from the shores of Antarctica and travels further north. But this particular cold language has been “parked” in Southeast Australia and is likely to be there for some time.
Melbourne is getting its coldest June start in decades: the average temperature in the city did not reach 15 degrees during the first week of winter, which has not happened since 1985, when the soap opera Neighbors premiered. and Channel Seven. If this continues until at least June 14, as expected, it will become the coldest first fortnight of winter in the city since 1949.
Sydney had its coldest winter start since 1989, and the temperature did not reach 18.5 degrees in the first week of June. This week, daytime temperatures have hovered around 15 or 16 degrees throughout the week, from lows of 7 and 8 degrees.
Even Brisbane woke up on Thursday with the coldest June morning in six years, with temperatures dropping to 5.1 degrees in the early hours of the morning.
Snow at Falls Creek in Victoria before the official opening of the ski season. Credit: Falls Creek Resort
You are probably familiar with the weather patterns of El Niño and La Niña in the Pacific Ocean, which affect the climate around the world. In most of Australia, El Niño has a dry climate, while La Niña has a humid climate.
In the Indian Ocean there is a similar climate engine called the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), which has the same impact through its “positive” and “negative” phases, respectively. This is the second consecutive year of a negative IOD, which refers to sea surface temperature patterns. While positive dipoles are associated with dry weather, negative dipoles can cause heavy rainfall and flooding in parts of Australia.