The strong cold change which ploughed through southeastern Australia late last week has now impacted the tropics with record-breaking consequences. A surge of dry southeasterly winds has made it to Broome in northern WA, leading to days being five degrees below average and nights as much as 10 below average. The Kimberley town has failed to warm past 27 degrees in each of the last three days. This is the first time in eight years that Broome has failed to exceed 27 in May for three consecutive days. The average maximum at this time of year is 31 degrees. The southeasterlies eased enough last night to make it the coldest May night in 73 years of records, dipping to a chilly 8.1 degrees, 10 degrees below average. The previous record low was 8.4 degrees, set in 1966. It normally doesn't get this cold until June or July, so it's an indication of how winter-like that cold change was. A record was also broken at Victoria River Downs in the Northern Territory, where the minimum was 4.1 degrees, a whopping 12 degrees below average. Maroochydore dipped to 3.5, 10 below average. The cold was also felt across Queensland with much of the state five to 10 degrees below average. The Sunshine Coast was amongst the most extreme. Last night was the coldest for May in at least 18 years for Sunshine Coast airport and the coldest for 12 years for both Tewantin and Toolara, chilling to 3.5, 6.1 and 7.9 degrees respectively. Much of the stretch from Gladstone to the Gold Coast had its coldest may night in six years, cooling as much as 10 degrees below average with help from dry southwesterly winds. The next few days and nights will generally be a bit warmer as the atmosphere loses its chill with southerly winds tending more easterly. However, there's still a chance of of near-record temperatures, particularly at night as the mercury dips five-to-10 degrees below average.