A sustained polar cold front resulted in record setting cold temperatures in several locations across southern Australia in the first week of July, reports ABC News.
“Cold weather sends temperatures below zero, breaks records in parts of southern Australia,” read the headline from ABC News reporting on the story.
“Freezing conditions have sent weather records tumbling in suburbs and towns across southern Australia overnight,” ABC News continued. “Residents across much of the south-east woke up to cold weather and frost.”
Victoria and South Australia both experienced unusually cold temperatures.
Adelaide’s West Terrace station recorded a low temperature 0.6℃ on July 3. Temperatures that low were last recorded there July 25, 1908, 116 years ago.
Elsewhere, Omeo, in Victoria, saw temperatures dip to -4.1℃ and Coldstream experienced lows of -3.9℃.
With a low temperature of -3.2℃, Nullarbor, where the borders of South Australia and Western Australia meet, recorded its lowest minimum temperature since official records have been measured there.
BOM senior forecaster Angus Hines told ABC News that during the recent cold spell satellite imagery showed widespread, thick frost across the states South Australia, Tasmania, and Victoria.
“You can even see the frost on some satellite imagery showing how extensive it is,” Hines said. “The broad areas of whiteness covering the land during the first hour or so after sunrise before that frost really thaws.”
The coating of ice was so thick in some areas that Hines estimated it would likely take several hours to melt.