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A cloudband is bringing showers to northeast NSW & southeast & central Qld. Onshore winds around a high pressure ridge are causing a few showers over western Tas & southern areas stretching from Vic to WA. An unstable airmass is enhancing storms across WA's Kimberley region.
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Today, 5:20AM UTC
Snow to blanket four states, including towns below the mountains
Heavy autumn snowfalls are heading towards southeastern Australia, and not just to the ski resorts of New South Wales and Victoria, or to higher parts of Tasmania. As a cold front ushers in a moist unstable polar airmass on Wednesday night into Thursday, snow will fall on the mountains of Vic, Tas, NSW and the ACT – as well as to elevated areas below the mountains. By Thursday, snow is forecast to fall as low as 500 metres above sea level in Tasmania, 600 metres in Victoria, 700 metres in the Snowy Mountains of NSW, and 800 metres in the ACT and the NSW Central Tablelands. These snow levels would be relatively low for midwinter, let alone in early May, which is why some towns beyond the mountains can expect snow showers on Thursday. Image: Four-hour satellite loop showing the approaching polar airmass, as indicated by the tell-tale field of speckled cloud. Source: Weatherzone. Where will snow fall and how much is expected? As much as 20 centimetres is expected to accumulate in the mainland alpine resorts and the higher parts of Tasmania. Much lighter falls are expected below the mountains, but the chance of snowflakes is still on the forecast for towns like Orange in NSW (elevation ~860m). Snow is also likely in the immediate vicinity of Canberra, though not in the city itself or its suburbs, most of which sit at an elevation around 600 metres. Image: The extent of predicted snowfalls this Thursday. May 7, at 4pm, indicated by purple areas. Source: BoM MetEye. Where can I see snow if I live in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra or Hobart? Canberra: The two main hills either side of downtown Canberra – Black Mountain and Mt Ainslie – both top out at slightly more than 800 metres, so there’s a chance that a quick drive up to the lookouts could yield a snowy reward. But the best chance is usually Corin Forest Mountain Resort, which is better known for its snowmaking, but which also receives natural snow in systems like this one. It’s about 45 minutes from the city. Sydney: The town of Oberon at 1100m is normally just under three hours’ drive west of Sydney, but because of the ongoing closure of the Great Western Hwy at Victoria Pass due to urgent road repairs, the town of Blackheath (elevation ~1060m) in the Blue Mountains might be your best bet, although there’s only a slight chance of moisture making it that far east. Melbourne: Lake Mountain and Mt Baw Baw are the closest snow resorts to Melbourne, around 2-3 hours east of the city, although road closures are possible with heavy snow. With a system like this one that will deliver snow beyond the high country, Mt Macedon (elevation ~1000m) is only an hour northwest of the city and often dishes up a few light snow flurries. Hobart: Large parts of Tasmania will see snow on Wednesday into Thursday, so it’s a case of pick your favourite spot and hope the road is open. The summit of kunanyi/Mt Wellington is more than 1200m above sea level, so expect snow around halfway down to city level. Be sure to bookmark the Weatherzone snow page for all the latest snow information and forecasts during the 2026 ski season.
Today, 1:08AM UTC
Eta Aquarids meteor shower: How to watch it from Australia this week
Earth will collide with a trail of dust in the wake of Halley’s Comet this week, causing a meteor shower that will be visible from Australia. What is the Eta Aquarids? The Eta Aquarids (also called the Eta Aquariid) is an annual meteor shower that occurs when Earth passes through the path of Halley’s Comet. The comet’s trail contains small particles that were ejected into space when it passed close to the Sun, which happens roughly once every 76 years. When Earth passes through Halley’s trail, the particles from the comet interact with atoms in Earth’s atmosphere to cause bright streaks of light. The comet particles are only tiny, around the size of a grain of sand to a grain of rice. But because they are travelling so fast – about 65 km per second – the streak of light they create in Earth’s atmosphere can be kilometres long. Image: Halley’s Comet, captured on March 8, 1986, the last time it passed close to the Sun. Source: NASA/W. Liller. Meteor showers are typically named after the constellation that sits close to the point in the sky where they appear to originate. This point is called the radiant. The radiant of the meteor shower caused by Halley’s comet appears to sit in the direction of the constellation Aquarius, and the meteor shower is named after a star in this constellation called Eta Aquarii. How can you see the Eta Aquarids? The Eta Aquarids meteor shower can be seen with a naked eye and is safe to view without any eye protection. The Eta Aquarids meteor shower can be visible from about late-April to late-May each year, with the most favourable viewing angle from the Southern Hemisphere. The peak of this year’s event will occur on the night of Wednesday, May 6 and early in the morning of Thursday, May 7. Under favourable viewing conditions, the Eta Aquarids can produce around 30 to 50 meteors per hour in the Southern Hemisphere sky. Unfortunately, a bight waning gibbous moon will make it hard to see some of the fainter meteors this year. However, the brighter streaks should still be visible. For the best chance to see the Eta Aquarids meteor shower from Australia this week, look towards the east or northeast during the hours before dawn. NASA also advises finding an area away from light pollution, such as city lights or streetlights, and giving your eyes at least 30 minutes to adjust to the darkness.
04 May 2026, 1:19AM UTC
Strong, cold, snowy system to chill the southeast
The coldest outbreak of what has been a relatively mild autumn is heading to southeastern Australia from midweek, with the strong likelihood of widespread showers, small hail, strong winds, and snowfalls at higher elevations. The cold front will sweep across the southeast on Wednesday and Thursday, and will be the second punch of a two-pronged weather system which has already left its mark, with record May rainfall totals recorded at several locations in the 24 hours to 9am Monday. Let's break down this major weather system into its two distinct phases. Phase 1: Heavy inland rain ahead of weak cold front Over the weekend and into Monday morning, significant rainfall totals were recorded in numerous locations across Victoria, New South Wales, and northern Tasmania, as a series of rainbands arrived from the north, driven by a low pressure system centred over waters just south of the SA/Vic border. Image: Rain radar across SE Australia in the 12 hours to 10pm on Sunday, May 3, 2026. Source: Weatherzone. Notable rainfall totals in the 24 hours to 9am Monday included: NSW 106mm at Thredbo Top Station, which was its wettest May day on record (records since 1970). 61mm at Cabramurra, the wettest day in any month since 2024 for this reliably damp Snowy Mountains site (records since 1997). 48mm at Forbes Airport, the site's wettest day in any month in more than two years (records since 1996). VICTORIA 81.8mm at Mt Hotham, with 66.2mm at Harrietville at the foot of the road to Hotham (where totals are often much less than half than what’s received at the top of the mountain). 78mm at Mt Buffalo Chalet. It’s also worth noting that numerous towns in central and western Victoria registered healthy falls around 20mm in the 24 hours to 9am Sunday, with several locations registering their highest daily rainfall totals for May in six years or longer. Eastern NSW is now receiving rain from a rainband stretching from the northwest of the state to the southeast, with a few showers falling in Sydney. Later this Monday, slightly chillier air will pass through the southeast. Melbourne has topped 20°C on 13 of the last 14 days, and could again reach a mild 20°C this Monday ahead of a cooler maximum of 18°C on Tuesday. But much colder weather lies ahead. Phase 2: Showers, wind, snow with a much stronger cold front Image: Predicted mean sea level pressure and precipitable water according to the ECMWF model for SE Australia at 4am on Friday, May 8, 2026. Source: Weatherzone. The weak front passing through the southeast this Monday will establish a westerly stream, which will allow polar air to push northwards with the second, much stronger cold front due later this week. The coldest air arrives over the mainland alpine region on Thursday, with snow projected to fall as low as about 900 metres. Snow could also fall on the tablelands below the mountains in parts of Vic, NSW and the ACT. At this stage, around 20cm of snow is projected to accumulate in the Victorian and NSW ski resorts. This will almost certainly melt before the traditional season opening in early June (June 6 this year). Generally speaking, May snowfalls do not contribute to the season’s snowpack unless they arrive in the last few days of the month. Is this the first major snow event of autumn 2026? Tasmania has already seen several significant snowfalls already this autumn, while the mainland saw an unseasonable snowfall in late March, but this will be the strongest system yet for the mainland in the 2026 autumn. Melbourne will feel the chill on Thursday with a maximum of just 12°C expected. Cool maximums will then persist right through to at least Sunday. Hobart can expect a top of just 13°C on Thursday, while Canberra is forecast to reach just 10°C, with snow likely on the nearby ranges and a frosty weekend to follow.