BOY, it was tough to get out of bed this morning. And not just because it’s a Monday.
Like many Melburnians, I felt the cold sharper than usual and there’s a good reason for that.
I phoned the Bureau of Meteorology to confirm what I suspected and they told me it was indeed the coldest morning of the year so far.
Temperatures in the city dropped to 10.7 degrees at 4am and didn’t climb much higher during most people’s commute. That figure is slightly lower than the previous coldest morning of the year — 11.2C recorded on March 21.
Snow is falling at Mount Hotham where it’s a brisk -4C. It’s -3C at Falls Creek and -3C at Mount Buller.
Senior forecaster at the BoM, Rod Dickson, said it felt even colder than 10.7C in Melbourne because a strong cold front brought with it biting winds.
“The apparent temperatures in Melbourne are about 7C with the wind factored in, so this morning’s minimum felt pretty cold.”
He said tomorrow will be more of the same, so keep the jacket ready for another fresh start.
“It’ll get down to 10 degrees in the city again tomorrow and as low as 4C in the Yarra Valley but then it’ll be about 21 degrees as winds will tend northerly.”
Today’s temperature is expected to climb to about 19C.
Things will heat up again on Wednesday when temperatures are expected to climb to around 28C.
The Bureau issued a severe weather warning on Monday morning for damaging winds averaging 60 to 70km/h with peak gusts upwards of 90 to 100km/h for coastal areas including Warrnambool and Geelong. The same windy conditions are forecast at Mt Buller, Mt Hotham and Falls Creek.
Melburnians who woke to a chilly morning took to social media to share their displeasure about the official end of summer.
“Geezus it’s cold in Melbourne this morning,” one wrote. “A bit like our broken hearts over this cricket fiasco.”
Others wrote: “It’s just coming into autumn in Melbourne and it’s freezing”, “Melbourne, you are cold AF” and “Holy s**t it’s cold in Melbourne this morning. Dug out the jacket. Haven’t worn one in four months.”
The winds bring with it concern for firefighters trying to contain bush and grass fires in the state’s southwest.
Fire authorities are concerned winds could put pressure on containment lines around fires at Cobden, Terang, Camperdown, Gazette and Garvoc where fires have been burning for more than a week.
“Nature throws her worst at us time and time again,” Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said on Sunday after 26 houses were destroyed along with thousands of head of livestock.
It’s a completely different story in Australia’s Top End where schools are shut and communities are recovering after they were lashed by Cyclone Nora.
Pormpuraaw, on the west of Cape York, was among those hardest hit, losing electricity as trees fell across power lines. Authorities said residents should continue to listen to warnings.
“People in the cyclone warning zones should continue to shelter in a safe, strong building until they are advised by authorities it is safe to go outside,” Queensland Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Katarina Carroll said.
Nora crossed the coast as a category 3 storm early on Sunday but has been downgraded to category 1. Forecasters predict the system could strengthen again in the coming days.
