Ben McBurney, 12 Jun 2015, 8:42 PM UTC
Aussie Alps experiencing near-record June warmth
Australia's alpine region has been experiencing near-record June temperatures over the last two days.
Across the ski slopes, daytime temperatures have been soaring about 5-10 degrees above the June average.
Yesterday, Thredbo Top Station reached 11.5 degrees, its warmest June day since 1979, while Mount Baw Baw and Mount Hotham reached 11.2 and 14.3 degrees respectively, their warmest June day in a decade.
Today will see temperatures remaining above average, although they should be a few degrees cooler than the last two days.
The warmer temperatures are not great news for the ski resorts, which would be experiencing significant snow melt after their best start to the season in a few years.
The warmth was not pronounced off the ranges though, with maximum temperatures generally reaching three or four degrees above the average, with light winds and a temperature inversion preventing significant mixing down to the surface. However, Tuggeranong still managed its warmest June day since 2005 yesterday, reaching 17 degrees.
An unusual weather pattern has been causing the unseasonably warm conditions, with a high over southeast Australia sitting around 500-to-1000km further south than usual at this time of year. This is combining with a trough over the nation's inland, which has been dragging down warm and humid air sourced from the tropics, which will eventually lead to rain forming early next week.
This rain will lead to more melt across the resorts between Monday and Wednesday, before showers tend to snow from Thursday and into the weekend.
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