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Brisbane's coldest June spell in 14 years

If you live in Brisbane, you've probably joined the chorus of complaints echoing across the city each morning: 

"It’s freezing." 
"I can’t feel my toes” 
"I'm packing up and heading to the tropics." 

And honestly? No one's exaggerating. Brisbane has just shivered through its coldest three-night June spell in 14 years, marking the chilliest three-night stretch for any month in the city in 7 years, and the coldest sequence of nights at Brisbane Airport in nearly 12 years.  

From Wednesday 12th to Friday 14th June, minimum temperatures at the Brisbane city station dropped to 6.5, 5.2, and 7.7 degrees, respectively. That gives a 3-day average of 6.5 degrees, making this the coldest 3-day stretch of June nights at the current station since 2011. And yes, that puts this week ahead of some legendary cold snaps in the city's modern climate record. 

Top 3 coldest 3-day June strings at the current Brisbane station: 

1. 12th–14th June 2025 – average: 6.5 degrees 
2. 19th–21st June 2011 – average: 6.6 degrees 
3. 15th–17th June 2003 – average: 6.7 degrees 

The reason? A high pressure system settled in behind a cold front that swept across the south—the same one you probably heard about, as it delivered heavy snowfalls to the southeast and even parts of the far northern tablelands. Clear skies, dry air and light winds created ideal conditions for heat to escape overnight. The cold was still very noticeable into each morning, particularly as the wind chill kicked in, making conditions feel even colder than the actual temperatures.  

To put this week in deeper perspective, we can dust off records from Brisbane's former weather stations—Brisbane Aero (official from 1949 to 1999) and the Brisbane Regional Office (pre-1949). Let’s have a look at some of the coldest three-morning runs from those earlier sites 

From Brisbane Aero: 

• 17th–19th June 1999 – average: 3.6 degrees
• 26th–28th June 1994 – average: 3.6 degrees
• 26th–28th June 1971 – average: 3.5 degrees 

And from the Brisbane Regional Office: 

• 24th–26th June 1949 – average: 4.8 degrees
• 24th–26th June 1943 – average: 3.9 degrees
• 28th–30th June 1908 – average: 2.6 degrees 

These figures show that while this week's cold didn't quite break century-old records, it still firmly earns its place among Brisbane’s most frigid streaks in recent decades. 

There’s good news for frostbitten fingers: the cold won't last much longer. From Tuesday 17th June, rising humidity and increasing cloud cover will return to the region, helping to trap overnight heat and lift morning temperatures, with minimums expected to rise to near or slightly above average.