Freezing start to King’s Birthday weekend

A cold front is forecast to bring a dusting of snow to parts of the eastern states and Tasmania towards the end of the King’s Birthday long weekend, as thousands of Aussies continue to shiver through the chilly week.

Ski season revellers in NSW and parts of Victoria face a small delay to the start of their season as a rainy weather system prepares to move offshore over the coming public holiday break.

Rainfall will continue over Friday but ease over the weekend.

Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) senior metrologist Christie Johnson said a dusting of snow could come through with a cold front on Sunday over the Victorian Alps, the NSW Southern Alps and 800m over Tasmania.

She confirmed there wouldn’t be much rain in it at all, but conditions in the snow regions would not be so favourable with not much snow about over the weekend.

Sunday and Monday will be mostly dry with an odd shower or two about the snow and coastal regions.

“If there is going to be a significant amount of snow it will likely be over Tasmania,” Ms Johnson said.

“There is just not that much rainfall expected to get up into the mountains of Victoria and NSW.

“There is a little more chance of snow with a cold front expected mid next week.

“That is where we expect to see more risk of snow, but not unfortunately for the opening of the ski season this weekend.”

While some rainfall will hang around on Saturday in the southeastern parts of NSW and eastern Victoria it should ease by the end of the day.

On Sunday, a weak front will move through Victoria and Tasmania, which will see some showers fall mostly over Tasmania, southern Victoria and potentially the NSW snow regions.

Queensland could also experience chilly mornings over the weekend with lots of fog and frost about.

A cool south-easterly surge will push across inland Queensland and the Northern Territory, which will get some of cooler conditions experienced during the Top End’s dry season.

“They will finally get some maximum temperatures below 30C,” Ms Johnson said.

A series of cold fronts are expected to hit the southwest land division of WA, with the first one crossing the coastline on Thursday night and potentially a stronger one again on the weekend.

“Thursday should be a strongish one but it will be a typical winter front,” Ms Johnson said.

“There is a risk of severe thunderstorms developing on the front, but rain or damaging winds are not expected to come with it.

“The front expected on the weekend has more chance of bringing rainfall over the agricultural district that need it, and it looks a bit stronger.

“With both of these fronts, particularly the one on the weekend there will be some fairly high seas and surf as well.”