Here comes the sun: Sydney set for hot end to winter
After a chilly weekend, NSW and parts of Victoria are set to warm up with some areas jumping to nearly 10 degrees above the August average.
An Antarctic cold front hit Australia’s southeast corner at the end of last week bringing chilly temperatures, damaging winds and snow to low-lying areas including Orange and Oberon in the NSW Central Tablelands.
The cold air has been sticking around too. Some areas around NSW, including Sydney, reached maximums below the August average on Tuesday morning.
Bankstown in Sydney’s southwest reached just over 13 degrees at about 10.30am while some areas of the Central West had barely passed 10, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
However, the bone-chattering conditions aren’t here to stay.
Sydney set for 26 degrees on Sunday
Weatherzone meteorologist Sam Brown told Yahoo News Australia a warm air mass is on its way from the west.
“It should see quite a big increase in temperatures - peaking on Sunday in coastal areas of NSW,” Mr Brown said.
“It will probably see temperatures about 10 degrees warmer than today (Tuesday).
“Sydney’s August average maximum is 17.8 degrees and on Sunday it could reach a top of 26.”
Tuesday’s maximum temperature in Sydney is forecast to be 17, but the warmer conditions should begin to come through on Thursday as it hits above 20 for the first time this week before gradually rising.
Gosford and areas on the NSW Central Coast will experience similar increases. The south coast will also get warmer but not as drastically.
Ulladulla will climb by a maximum of about 7 - from a top of 15 on Tuesday to 22 by Sunday.
Mr Brown said the warm air won’t have as “significant” an impact on Queensland but should affect the state’s east coast.
Warmer temperatures for Queensland
Top temperatures across the southeast, stretching from Brisbane to the Gold Coast, should climb by about 2 to 3 degrees.
Areas north of Brisbane will largely be unaffected though.
Mr Brown said central and eastern Victoria could be 7 degrees above average across the weekend.
Melbourne, which has gone through more than a week of rainy days, will rise from a top of 14 on Tuesday to 21 on Saturday.
Mallacoota, which is on the Victorian coast near the state border with NSW, will rise by about 5 from Tuesday to Saturday from a top of 14 to a top of 19.
The same warm air mass gave West Roebuck, in Western Australia’s Kimberley, a toasty 41.2 on Sunday, which according to Weatherzone meteorologist Ben Domensino is the highest August and winter temperature recorded in Australia.
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