Extra blankets were thrown on beds across much of the country last night as temperatures plummeted. A cool air mass stretching from Tasmania to Queensland helped the mercury to drop overnight, with some places experiencing their coldest February morning in years. The Victorian Alps cooled below zero degrees, dipping as much as 10 below average. It was the coolest February morning since 2008 for a number of places, including Bairnsdale Airport (four degrees), Hunters Hill (five degrees), Lake Eildon (five degrees), Mt Buller (minus two degrees), Mt Hotham (minus two degrees) and Ouyen (eight degrees). In New South Wales, Sydney Airport recorded the coldest February morning in 15 years with a minimum of 14.4 degrees as rain soaked the city. Elsewhere in the state the temperature reached just 10 degrees at Broken Hill, while Thredbo Top station hit minus two, the coldest February morning in four years. In Queensland it reached 15.6 degrees at Thargomindah, making it the coldest February morning in 15 years. Charleville cooled to just 13 degrees, nine degrees cooler than the previous morning. Tonight will be another cool one for southeastern states, although the air mass will gradually warm into the beginning of next week.