Overview
Winter 2020 might be in its final stretches, but it's sure going out with a big, icy bang. Over the next couple of days, NSW is set to shiver through some of the chilliest weather it's seen all year, as the Bureau of Meteorology warns of a 'vigorous cold front' headed to parts of the state.
The BOM says temperatures two-to-eight degrees below average are forecast for the country's east over the weekend, with NSW and the ACT likely to shiver through the coldest day of the year on Saturday.
Showers, thunderstorms, hail and a healthy dose of snow are on their way to regions across Australia's southeast corner, including much of NSW. Alpine areas look set to be hit with blizzard conditions on Friday and Saturday, with up to 100 centimetres of the white stuff expected to fall across those regions by the end of the weekend.
The BOM is also forecasting cold enough temperatures for snow down to 500 metres in southern parts of the state on Saturday, and to 1000 metres up north. And it seems the ski fields have already kicked off this current cold stretch in style, with Thredbo and Perisher each recording a hefty 15 centimetres of fresh snow overnight, off the back of generous falls earlier in the week.
If all that wasn't enough to have you pulling out the electric blankets, be warned that the wind chill factor should have things feeling even frostier. More cold fronts are set to drop wild westerly winds across most of NSW for the weekend — including Sydney — plunging daytime temperatures to well below their August average until at least Monday.
The BOM forecasts this cold, windy snap should start easing towards the end of the weekend, with Sydney to enjoy maximum temperatures of 17 and 18 degrees right through next week.
To stay up-to-date with weather warnings, head over to the Bureau of Meteorology website.
Image: Paula R Lively via Flickr