On Wednesday evening, parts of New South Wales will experience a sudden drop in temperature as a cold front advances through the southeast of Australia. This front, which has been progressing steadily through South Australia, Victoria, and Tasmania since Tuesday, is expected to reach NSW later in the day.
Meteorologist Angus Hines from the Bureau of Meteorology noted that temperatures in the southern states have plummeted by 10°C to 15°C. For instance, Melbourne, which was over 28°C on Tuesday, struggled to climb past 18°C by Wednesday.
Weather conditions in Sydney, Wollongong, and Newcastle will change noticeably as the cold front arrives. Sydney is expected to reach a high of 27°C on Wednesday, with southerly winds picking up and gusting up to 55 km/h near the coast. The cold front will also bring large swells up to 3 meters to Sydney’s coastline by early evening.
Tasmania and southern Victoria are still experiencing showers, and Hines mentioned that the cold air might lead to snow at high elevations in Tasmania. Reports indicate that Mount Mawson and Ben Lomond have already seen their first significant snowfall of the season.
In NSW, the cold front will usher in cooler temperatures that are expected to stay below average for several days. Canberra will see minimum temperatures in the single digits, reaching as low as 9°C on Sunday and Monday.
While cooler weather will prevail, Hines anticipates warmer days towards the end of March and into April. Although the cold front will bring lower temperatures, no record lows are expected for March, but temperatures will certainly trend towards the cooler end of the spectrum.