News

Cold and wet weekend ahead for Melbourne

A burst of wintry weather will hit Melbourne this weekend, with blustery winds, showers and single digit feels like temperatures.

Melbourne experienced a long run of abnormally warm weather during the first two weeks of May, with maximum temperatures frequently hitting the low-to-mid 20s, well above the average of 16.8°C for this time of year.

This run of warmth is about to come to an end though, with a cold front set to crash into Victoria and send temperatures plummeting over the weekend.

The front will sweep through on Friday night into Saturday morning, bringing cold southerly winds and showers. These showers will continue over southern and eastern Victoria on Saturday before contracting to the state’s east on Sunday.

Image: Forecast 850hPa temperature and wind, showing cold air over southeastern Australia on Saturday night.

Melbourne will be cold and wet on Saturday before drying out but remaining chilly on Sunday. Daytime temperatures are forecast to reach 14°C on Saturday and 15°C on Sunday, which would make this the city’s coldest weekend in 8 months. However, a combination of cloud, cold air and southerly winds should make the temperature feel lower than 10°C for most of the weekend in Melbourne.

Anyone heading out for Saturday sport – whether it’s watching the kids at the local oval or heading to the MCG for the AFL – should take something to keep warm and dry.

Image: Hourly forecast for Melbourne on the Weatherzone app.

This weekend’s chill will also be felt in other parts of southeastern Australia. Temperatures in Hobart are only expected to reach 11 to 13°C over the weekend, while snow should settle on mountains in Tasmania, Victoria and NSW.

This system is a timely reminder that winter is only two weeks away in Australia.