Just a week before spring officially begins, millions of Australians have woken up to cold temperatures, frigid winds, and even snowfall as a polar blast sweeps the nation.
The east coast is now experiencing yet another cold front, turning major roadways into ice rinks and leaving residents shivering in their homes. This comes after the region had a colder-than-average winter with rainy weather and floods.
Even residents on the west coast, who are accustomed to somewhat milder winters, may see temperatures as low as 7C in Perth, while Tasmania, Victoria, South Australia, Queensland, and portions of New South Wales are being slammed by destructive winds and frigid air.
The suburbs of people living in NSW’s Central Tablelands were turned overnight into winter wonderlands as a result of the very low temperatures.
After crossing the Tasman Sea, the cold front is bringing widespread rain, snow, ice, and even hail, with NSW seeing the worst of it as the low pressure system lingers off the coast.
BLACK ICE: WHAT IS IT?
On surfaces like roadways, a thin layer of translucent ice called “black ice” develops.
Black ice gets its name from the fact that it looks black, much like the colour of the pavement or road where it develops.
When the ground is still damp and the temperature falls below freezing, black ice develops.
Drivers can’t see it, their tyres can’t grip it, and their brakes won’t function properly on it, making it unsafe.
Due to a polar blast, Sydney saw the coldest afternoon of the year on Tuesday. By 3pm, the temperature had dropped to only 10.2C, which felt more like 1.8C due to chilly wind and rain.
The temperature in Sydney’s west suburb of Badgerys Creek dropped from 21.1 degrees to 10.7 degrees in only ten minutes between 12:30 and 2:20.
Before travelling northeast into the NSW and ACT, where it is now lingering off the coast, the cold front passed through Tasmania, South Australia, and Victoria.
In Sydney and Melbourne, the temperature dropped to 5C, but the southerly wind chill made it seem much colder.
The Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, have been in pandemonium as a result of the freezing arctic blast, which initially hit Australia’s east coast on Tuesday. Thousands of drivers were shut off from the city as hazardous black ice developed on the roadway.
Following a small collision on Wednesday morning, the Great Western Highway at Katoomba, which links the Blue Mountains to the coast, and the Bells Line of Road between Lithgow and Bell are now both blocked.
Police are on the site to make sure the hazardous black ice melts before the route can reopen. It is thought that the collision was caused by dangerous black ice on part of the roadway.
The disruptions during rush hour traffic may prevent the motorway from reopening until 10 or 11am, drivers have been advised.
The Great Western Highway remains blocked between Katoomba and Mount Victoria, so motorists have been advised to avoid travelling between the Blue Mountains and Lithgow.
The roads are covered with black ice; avoid driving.
There is no estimate as to when these routes will reopen due to the weather, according to the Live Traffic NSW alert.
Similar warnings have been issued by the NSW Rural Fire Service for motorists to exercise care on snow- and ice-covered roads in places including Katoomba and Leura.
A warning for dangerous surf along the coastline was issued when the Bureau of Meteorology reported that the cold front has crossed the Tasman Sea and created a low pressure system off the NSW Coast.
From about 4 p.m. on Tuesday until 2 a.m. on Wednesday, according to Weatherzone’s Joel Pippard, snow fell throughout the Central Tablelands of New South Wales.
According to the forecaster, snowfall at Leura, Blackheath, Lithgow, and Orange ranged from 5 to 10 centimetres. In other places, snowfall reached 600 to 700 metres.
However, he warned the alps and ski slopes might see some “small dustings” of snow tonight when the cold front causing the chilly weather travels off the NSW coast to New Zealand.
Canberrans had a “extremely chilly day” and a “chilling night” on Wednesday morning, with temperatures dipping to a pitiful -6.9C.
According to Mr. Pippard, people will have a few chilly mornings between now and Monday, and all locations south of Newcastle are expected to see a few light showers.
On Monday, NSW will see its subsequent cold front, with the north coast likely to experience some rain and the interior regions remaining mostly dry.
Instead of snow, the impending cold front is predicted to bring storms and rain.
A chilly air mass with southerly winds blowing in its wake is to blame for the rapid dip in temperatures and rains.
Sydney will have some light rain on Tuesday night, and showers are predicted to last until the weekend.
The storm system will proceed as far as Brisbane, where showers are predicted to start in the evening and end as temperatures rise to a pleasant 19C on Wednesday.
Melbourne will have light rain as well on Tuesday night, and it won’t stop until Friday.
The highland parts of Victoria and NSW have also seen significant snowfall due to the extreme cold spell, with powder anticipated down to 800m and up to 30cm likely.
Near the boundary of NSW and Victoria, Jindabyne had one of the year’s worst blizzards, with 20 cm of heavy snow being reported.
The remainder of the week in Canberra will be gloomy, although rain is expected to lessen by Wednesday.
Following many days of very cold weather that devastated Tasmania, Hobart is expected to have distinct showers on Tuesday and Wednesday.
In Alice Springs, central Australia, evening lows are expected to be slightly over freezing.
Darwin will continue to see sunny skies, with highs of 33°C and lows of 20°C predicted until the beginning of next week.
Although Adelaide escaped the worst of the rain band, there will likely be a few light showers until the end of the week.
Through Friday, Perth is expected to see overcast conditions with highs in the mid 20s before potential rains arrive on Saturday.
Four-day forecast for major cities