Coldest Summer Day in Nearly 30 Years Brings SNOW to Victoria’s Alpine Region – As Melburnians Shiver Through a Chilly Start to December
- Victoria is experiencing its coldest December 1 in 29 years, with temperatures 8-12 degrees below average.
- Snow has fallen in the Alpine region, with Mt Buller and Falls Creek among the areas blanketed in a layer of white.
- Melburnians are braving the cold, with the city’s maximum temperature expected to reach just 15 degrees Celsius.
- The cold snap is expected to be short-lived, with temperatures set to rise to 29 degrees Celsius on Wednesday and 32 degrees Celsius on Thursday.
Victoria has woken up to a chilly start to summer, with the state experiencing its coldest December 1 in nearly 30 years. The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast maximum temperatures to be 8-12 degrees below the December average, with Melburnians shivering through a maximum of just 15 degrees Celsius.
Duty forecaster Michael Ephron warned that the wind chill would make the temperature feel even colder, saying: “That wind from the south-west can be quite strong and gusty at times. It will actually make the ‘feels like’ temperature around 8 or 9 degrees for much of the day.”
The Alpine region has been particularly affected, with snow falling in areas such as Mt Buller and Falls Creek. The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast top temperatures of just 1 or 2 degrees Celsius in these areas, with snow possible as low as 1,100 metres.
Rhylla Morgan, a spokesperson for Mt Buller, described the weather as “pretty crazy”, saying: “It’s been a bit of a funny spring. We’ve had snow almost once a week since the season closed at the beginning of October.”
The cold snap is expected to be short-lived, with temperatures set to rise to 29 degrees Celsius on Wednesday and 32 degrees Celsius on Thursday. The Bureau of Meteorology has also forecast a return to more normal conditions as the summer progresses.
Despite the chilly start to the day, Melburnians were out and about, rugged up in warm clothing. One man, visiting from overseas, said: “It’s my first time in Melbourne and I was not expecting this cold weather.”
A woman visiting from Western Australia was also surprised by the cold, saying: “It’s way too cold for an Australian summer. We’re going back to where it’s warm tomorrow, back to Perth.”
The cold weather follows a wet November, with Victoria experiencing its wettest November since 1992. The state recorded 128 millimetres of rainfall, making it a welcome relief for farmers and gardeners.