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Frigid morning, and not just down south

Anthony Sharwood, Monday May 22, 2023 - 11:47 AEST

If you felt like you needed an extra cup of hot coffee on Monday morning to kick-start your working week, you weren't alone.

Australia shivered its way through Sunday night and Monday morning, with some of the lowest temperatures of 2023 across all states and territories.

Canberra had its coldest night of the year with a low of -4.8°C just before 5:30 am, and while we all know the national capital can get frosty at this time of year, last night was still more than seven degrees below the May average of 2.5°C.

But the anomalies were even more extreme up north. For example:

Camooweal in far northwest Queensland, fell to a low of 3.5°C, which was 10.2°C below the May average.

Victoria River Downs, in the northern NT, had a chilly low of 5.7°C, which was also 10.2°C below the May average.

So why was the cold so far-reaching?

Blame that great big high sitting over Australia which you can see in the graphic below.

The southeast corner of the country has been lashed by cold fronts and chilly westerly winds in recent days, with snow in the high country and maximums of 15°C or lower for six straight days in Melbourne from Tuesday through to Sunday.

While the weather is clearing down south, that cold, dry air is circulating around the high pressure system centred north of Adelaide. Look closely at the image above and you can see the streamlines (tiny arrows) showing the wind direction

Just as hot air from the interior of the country can turn our southernmost regions into a furnace in midsummer, the southern regions can repay the favour as we move into winter, delivering cool air northwards. That cool, dry air bites particularly hard at night.

Image: It was a frosty one just south of Queanbeyan and Canberra at Jindaburra Truffle Farm. Source: @Jindaburratruffles via Instagram.

So it was a chilly one across much of the country last night and we can expect that pattern for at least the next few days, with the last week of autumn continuing to feel a lot like winter in many parts.

- Weatherzone

© Weatherzone 2023

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A very wet weekend for southeast Qld, northeast NSW

11:48 AEST A prolonged rainfall event is set to bring large totals to parts of NSW and Qld from Saturday, with possible heavy falls and flooding. A low-pressure system in the Coral Sea, a deepening coastal trough and persistent easterlies will bring moisture-laden air into southeast Qld and northeast NSW will bring days of rainfall to the region. While there is not a drop of rain on the radar over southeast Qld and Northeast NSW on Friday morning, the mass of cloud associated with a low in the Coral Sea will enhance rainfall over the weekend.