News

Light snow and widespread chilly temperatures

Light snow has fallen on the highest peaks of the mainland while the mercury in Tasmania dipped as low as –7°C in a sure sign that winter is now just a month away.

A large high pressure system centred just south of Adelaide is dominating Australia’s weather, creating stable conditions with clear windless nights which are ideal for cold overnight temperatures.

Further east, there’s just enough easterly influence in the predominantly southerly airstream to push moisture onto the coast and nearby ranges of NSW, southern Vic, and SE Queensland – keeping daytime temperatures low and causing brief snowfalls at the ski resorts.

Image: Synoptic chart for Australia on Thursday, May 1, 2025.

With the whole of southeastern Australia experiencing a midweek chill, some of the observations included:

• Adelaide had its coldest night of the year to date with a low of 7.4°C at 4am.
• Sydney failed to reach 20°C for the first time in 2025, with a Wednesday maximum of 18.4°C that felt considerably colder due to wind and frequent showers.
• Canberra also had its coldest day of the year so far on Wednesday with a top of 16.2°C.
• Liawenee, a tiny town on Tasmania’s Central Plateau kicked off May with a minimum of –7°C after falling to –5.6°C the previous night.

Image: Showers of rain or snow in the mountains often don’t show up (as green blobs) on the radar due to terrain impeding the radar beam, but the underlying water vapour (the blueish-white) passing over the mountains on the 6-hour loop above shows why snow showers were recorded in the mountains.

Further frosty nights lie ahead for Australia's southeastern corner, but daytime temperatures will warm up considerably by the weekend, with highs well into the 20s for Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney, while even Canberra and Hobart should top 20°C by Sunday.