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Southeastern Australia's weekend chill

Brett Dutschke, Saturday March 14, 2020 - 10:12 AEDT

Unseasonable cold has arrived in southeastern Australia in time for the weekend, the coldest it has been since spring for many places and the coldest it has been in March in decades for some.

Temperatures will struggle to get within five-to-10 degrees of the March average across much of South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, the ACT and New South Wales due to brisk southerly winds in the wake of one of the strongest fronts we have had for several months.

Adelaide, Hobart, Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney will average a maximum temperature of about 18 degrees on Saturday, more typical of late autumn or early winter. Brisk southerly winds will make it feel as much as three-to-five degrees colder at times.

Saturday is likely to be the coolest day since October or November for much of Sydney, Blue Mountains, Illawarra and Hunter areas.

As brisk winds ease and skies partially clear it will allow Saturday night and Sunday morning to become particularly chilly. The southeastern capitals are expected to average an overnight minimum of about 11 degrees with the Canberra area potentially dipping below five degrees for the first time this year.

The southeast of the country will gradually warm up early in the week, warming a few degrees above average in Adelaide as early as Monday, Hobart and Melbourne on Tuesday, Canberra on Wednesday and Sydney on Thursday. This warmth is part of a two-day warm spell ahead of the next cooler change.

That next cooler change is expected to lead to a run of cooler than average days and nights well into the following week.

- Weatherzone

© Weatherzone 2020

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