An unseasonable cold snap is gripping the southeastern states, with temperatures plummeting and icy winds making it feel like winter.
Daytime temperatures are expected to stay significantly below average through to Saturday, particularly in Tasmania, the southern and mountain areas of Victoria and parts of the NSW coast.
“The message to you over the southeast of the country is, ‘I’m sorry, summer is not here just yet’,” Sky News meteorologist Alison Osborne said.
Frosty mornings are likely in parts of the NSW ranges into the weekend.
The cold snap is driven by multiple weather systems interacting to create persistent southerly winds over the southeast.
While most parts of the region will stay cool over the weekend, good news is on its way, as warmer weather is likely to arrive by early to mid-next week.
It comes after Melbourne recorded its coldest summer day in 16 years on Thursday.
The maximum temperature of 15.8C in Melbourne was the lowest on record for summer since 2006, while the mercury dipped to -5.4C on Mt Hotham for the state’s coldest summer day.
Persistent southerly winds and a sweeping low pressure system meant four capital cities had minimum temperatures of below 10C, including Canberra, where residents had to contend with temperatures as low as 1C early on Thursday morning.
Frost featured throughout the ACT as well as the Victorian high country and parts of Tasmania’s Central Plateau.