Image: Thredbo Ski Resort gondola is covered in fresh snow just days after closing for the season. Source: Rusty J via ski.com.au.
On September 16, The Guardian reported that the south and eastern Australian territories of New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania, and Victoria got a blast of extremely cold weather blowing up out of Antarctica to close out the winter.
“Much of Australia’s south-east shivered through freezing temperatures overnight, with another frosty morning forecast for Tuesday. . .,” The Guardian wrote. “Canberra [Australia’s capital] marked its coldest September morning on record, reaching -6.9℃ on Monday. The previous September record of -6.8℃ was set 12 years ago in 2012.”
Other areas reporting unusually cold, record or near record setting temperatures, included Bathurst -3.9℃, Cooma with a low of -8.2℃, Goulburn -6℃, Wagga -3.4℃, and Young where the low dipped to -5.3℃.
In fact, below zero temperatures were fairly common across the south-eastern parts of Australia’s mainland, reported The Guardian, writing:
According to Weatherzone, this was Wagga’s coldest September minimum in 58 years. Additionally, Keith in South Australia reached -4.5C, its coldest September morning in more than 62 years.
Victoria’s alpine areas were the hardest hit by the frosty overnight temperatures, with Mount Hotham recording -6.5C. But even further away from the alps, Omeo saw -4.5C and Rutherglen reached -4C.
Walpeup in the Mallee region saw a low of -1.2C, Weatherzone reported, its coldest temperature in 29 years.
Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology reported that the temperatures were 5 to 8 degrees Celsius below normal for the time of year across the region, with the cold expected to linger until Wednesday, when more normal temperatures are forecast to arrive.
The extremely cold temperatures were accompanied by snow in some areas, such as the hills surrounding Canberra, Mount Macedon, Trentham, the peaks of mountains in the Yarra Ranges National Park, and on the Australian island territory of Tasmania, south of the main island.