WEATHER UPDATE – WINTER SETS IN
We have had the coldest May, as far as overnight average minimum temperatures are concerned, for 50 years in Canberra. For Sydney it was the coolest in about 40 years and for the Greater Hunter in about a decade.
That cold air has made for some very cold nights right along the tablelands, the slopes and the north west, and that trend is not going to break as we move into winter, in fact it will be a cold start to the season.
At the south pole there are some active polar storms which are not calming down. Polar storms love to wrap around the South Pole and move quickly in a clockwise motion. A belt of high pressure is sitting to the south and that’s allowing another pulse of tropical moisture to come down across the weekend.
There is a belt of high pressure sitting to the south and it is generating an onshore air flow along the coast, so the trend of south easterly winds with cloud and showers is set to continue. With the polar storms so incredibly active more cold air is being pushed northward making for those very cold night time temperatures. The ski resorts are loving it. Perisher is set to open this weekend, a week before the official opening, and snow is also falling in NZ as well so we may see a decent ski season unfold if this trend happens but it’ll be tough for farmers on the land with severe frosts likely.
