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Antarctic air to bring low-level snow in southeastern Australia

Source Weatherzone Fri 29 Aug 2025

An air mass with polar origins will cause snow to reach low levels in southeastern Australia during the next two days as several states shiver through the final cold blast of winter. A pool of cold air that escaped from the fringes of Antarctica on Tuesday is now pushing across southern Australia. This frigid air mass will continue to spread over the country’s southeast into the weekend, causing temperatures and snowlines to drop. Image: Visible satellite image showing cold air moving over southern Australia on Friday afternoon. The air associated with this system should be cold enough to see snow falling in Tas, Vic, NSW and the ACT, and possibly in SA too. SA’s best chance of snow will be on Friday night, when flurries are possible in elevated areas of the Mid North and southern Flinders distracts. The polar air mass will then continue to spread towards the east on Friday night into Saturday, causing snow to reach low levels in several states. Snow could fall to about 300 metres elevation in Tasmania, 600 metres in Victoria, 700 metres in southern NSW and the ACT and 900 metres in central NSW, most likely between Friday night and Saturday afternoon as the coldest air moves through. Image: Modelled 850 hPa temperature and mean sea level pressure on Saturday morning.  In addition to the widespread low-level snow, this system will also cause a dangerous mix of rain, hail, thunderstorms and damaging winds across several states in southern and southeastern Australia on Friday and Saturday. As of 3pm AEST on Friday, severe weather warnings were in place for parts of NSW, the ACT, SA, Vic and Tas. Severe thunderstorm warnings, road weather alerts, bushwalkers alerts and sheep graziers' warnings were also in place for some areas. This blast of icy and windy weather, which is occurring in the final week of Australia’s winter, will cause dangerous conditions over a broad area of southern and southeastern Australia over the next couple of days. Make sure you check the latest road closures and weather warnings in your areas before heading outdoors. - Weatherzone © Weatherzone 2025