Weather in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane: Temperatures plummet due to polar blast
Winter bites: Millions of Australians wake up on the coldest morning of the year as arctic blasts engulf the country
- Temperatures below 0C recorded in Sydney
- Heavy rain forecast for Adelaide
- Canberra recorded -5.5C
Temperatures have fallen below average across Australia, with meteorologists warning that the record cold is likely to continue for the rest of the week.
SYDNEY FREEZES
Early risers in Greater Sydney awoke to sub-zero temperatures on Wednesday, while Richmond recorded -6.2C in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Camden and Campbelltown fell to -2.3 and 1.6 degrees respectively before 7am on Wednesday, the coldest morning recorded in Sydney in the past 25 years.
Just before 8am, the Bureau of Meteorology clocked Sydney’s temperature at 5.3 degrees.
Fortunately, the rest of Wednesday looks good for Sydneysiders, with a maximum temperature of 16°C combined with clear, sunny skies.
Rain will move across the city on Thursday, with showers lasting through Friday morning before the sun returns for the weekend.
A cold spell caused freezing temperatures in Australia on Wednesday morning (pictured, map of early morning temperatures on Wednesday)
West Sydney recorded a low of -3C in Richmond on Wednesday after the coldest day in June ever recorded on Tuesday
The minimum temperature for the rest of the week is not expected to drop below 7 degrees.
THE TEMPERATURES POT UP TO -5.5C IN CANBERRA
Canberra froze with -5.5C recorded at 8am on Wednesday morning.
The cold is expected to last into next week with minimum temperatures between zero and 2°C.
The residents of South Queensland are also shivering at the snap with Applethorpe recording -5.3C at 5.30am and the maximum temperature predicted for today at 12C.
Brisbane dropped to 8.3°C, while nearby Canungra recorded -0.3.
Brisbane’s weather is expected to warm up as the week progresses, with maximum temperatures rising daily, peaking at 27°C on Sunday.
Partly cloudy weather is forecast for Thursday and Friday, but the chance of rain is very small.
MELBOURNE STAYS COLD ALL DAY
Temperatures in Melbourne are expected to remain low all day on Wednesday with a maximum of just 12°C around noon.
Partly cloudy conditions on Wednesday are expected to turn to rain on Thursday afternoon, before decreasing to light showers on Friday morning.
Melbourne will see rain from Thursday afternoon through Friday morning, followed by more rain from Monday
The weekend in Victoria’s capital looks cloudy before more rain on Monday.
Further south, Hobart recorded 2°C on Wednesday morning with another cold morning forecast for Thursday at 3°C.
The center of gravity of Australia’s rain is expected to hit Western Australia, with a month’s worth of rainfall in just three days.
June is typically not a very wet time of year in WA’s northern and central districts. In a typical June, these parts of the state would usually see about 10 to 20 mm of rain,” Weather zone said meteorologist Ben Domensino.
“Some parts of the state could see this much rain in the coming days as moisture from the Indian Ocean feeds a large band of clouds over the state.”
The cold front is expected to bring rain across the state and large parts of South Australia on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
Rain is predicted to fall over Perth until next week with maximum temperatures around the mid-teens.
The system is expected to bring particularly heavy rainfall to Adelaide, with meteorologists warning storms could topple trees and power lines.
It is predicted to see between 20 and 40mm of rainfall in 24 hours from 9am on Thursday.
Adelaide is forecast to see heavy rain from Wednesday, with meteorologists warning trees and power lines could fall during storms
The showers are expected to linger into next week.
Darwin’s temperature sat at 24C early Wednesday morning with a high of 31C predicted for the day.
Weather in the Northern Territory capital is expected to remain mostly sunny for the rest of the week with maximum temperatures hovering around 30°C.