Temperatures will plummet this week as a series of cold fronts travel across southeastern Australia, bringing dustings of snow to alpine regions.
Freezing cold air will sweep through New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania with the high mountains in the states expected to receive some light snow.
According to Weatherzone, the mid-week chill will mark the unofficial start of the ski season, with several days of fresh snowfall on the cards.
‘Wednesday night and Thursday morning will be particularly cold, with minimum temperatures forecast to reach -5 to -7°C in the Vic and NSW Alps,’ it said.
The real chill is expected to hit over the weekend, when two cold fronts are forecast to hit southeastern Australia, one on Saturday and another on Sunday.
This back-to-back system is expected to deliver a steady stream of cold air and snowfall, with snow likely each day from Saturday through at least Tuesday.
The timing couldn’t be better for ski resorts, with the King’s Birthday long weekend approaching.
‘Tuesday’s front won’t deliver a lot of natural snow,’ Weatherzone said.
A cold front is moving across the country, bringing cool weather into the long weekend
‘But it will cause temperatures to drop and allow ski resorts to make plenty of artificial snow in the lead-up to the weekend.’
The June long weekend typically signals the start of the ski season for most of Australia’s main resorts.
However, early June is often unreliable when it comes to natural snow, and in some years, there isn’t enough coverage to open slopes this early.
Weatherzone says this year looks more promising.
‘Fortunately, Mother Nature will be kindly serving up several bursts of cold weather over the coming week, including a good bout of fresh natural snow over the long weekend and early next week,’ they added.
Perth meanwhile is set to receive its heaviest rainfall this year as a slow-moving low pressure system brings rainfall totals potentially exceeding 85mm over Tuesday and Wednesday.
The extreme conditions in the first week of winter come after Australia enjoyed its fourth warmest autumn on record.
The south-western regions of Western Australia will cop a soaking after a relatively dry start to 2025 with below-average rainfall in its capital.
Temperatures in single digits are forecast in Melbourne, Sydney and other cities (stock)
Check the forecast below for your capital city this week.
Sydney
Wednesday: Partly cloudy. Min 11 Max 16
Thursday: Sunny. Min 8 Max 17
Friday: Partly cloudly. Min 8 Max 18
Melbourne
Wednesday: Showers. Min 8 Max 14
Thursday: Partly cloudy. Min 6 Max 15
Friday: Shower or two. Min 7 Max 14
Perth is set for a drenching with rainfall of 85mm expected on Tuesday and Wednesday (stock)
Brisbane
Wednesday: Sunny. Min 14 Max 23
Thursday: Sunny. Min 11 Max 22
Friday: Mostly sunny. Min 11 Max 23
Perth
Wednesday: Showers and storms. Min 13 Max 20
Thursday: Showers. Min 12 Max 20
Friday: Partly cloudy. Min 8 Max 19
The cold front will bring cold weather into the King’s Birthday long weekend
Adelaide
Wednesday: Sunny. Min 4 Max 16
Thursday: Shower or two. Min 5 Max 18
Friday: Showers. Min 9 Max 19
Hobart
Wednesday: Cloudy. Min 4 Max 12
Thursday: Cloudy. Min 6 Max 13
Friday: Shower or two. Min 4 Max 14
The cold weather will bring snowfalls across the Alpine region in time for ski season (stock)
Canberra
Wednesday: Cloud clearing. Min 2 Max 12
Thursday: Morning frost, Sunny. Min -3 Max 13
Friday: Morning frost, cloudy. Min -3 Max 13
Darwin
Wednesday: Mostly sunny. Min 22 Max 32
Thursday: Mostly sunny. Min 22 Max 31
Friday: Partly cloudy. Min 21 Max 32
