Australian Weather

Today, 1:13AM UTC

Millions of Australians will be rugging up over the King’s Birthday long weekend as an icy blast brings a mix of rain, hail, thunderstorms, blustery winds and snow to southeastern Australia. All states and territories except Queensland and Western Australia will have a long weekend this weekend thanks to the King’s Birthday public holiday on Monday. Cold snap in southeastern Australia Australia’s southeastern states will be hit by a burst of wintry weather over the long weekend, featuring rain, hail, thunderstorms, icy winds and quite a bit of snow. A complex low pressure system will drive a large pool of polar air over southeastern Australia on Friday and Saturday and hold it there throughout the whole long weekend. This system will spread rain and hail over large areas of SA, Tas, Vic, NSW and the ACT over the long weekend. This will include wet weather in Melbourne, Adelaide, Canberra and Hobart. While this rain will not be welcome everywhere, it will be appreciated in the drought-affected areas of SA and Vic. Image: Forecast daily rainfall over the King’s Birthday long weekend. This weekend’s rain will also be accompanied by a burst of cold and windy weather: Maximum temperatures are only forecast to reach 12 to 13°C in Adelaide and Melbourne on Sunday, but it will be feeling much colder than this due to cloud, rain and wind. The feels like temperature in Canberra will struggle to get above 2°C for most of the long weekend. Most of Sunday and Monday will feel colder than 10°C in Sydney as chilly westerly winds buffet the city. Image: 48-hour forecast graph for Melbourne on the Weatherzone app. One big feature of the long weekend cold snap will be heavy and low-level snow. The persistent nature of this system will allow snow to fall in the mainland alpine region from Saturday until at least Tuesday next week. This system will deliver enough natural snow to kick-start the ski season in NSW and Vic, which officially starts at most ski resorts this weekend. Tasmania’s highlands will also get snow over the long weekend, and we should also see snow settling outside the alps in Vic, NSW and the ACT. Drier and warmer in the west and north There won’t be much noteworthy weather outside of southeastern Australia during the weekend. People in Central Australia will notice a drop in temperatures as colder and drier air moves up from the south. Minimum temperatures at Alice Springs could dip to about 4°C on Sunday and Monday mornings, although days will be clear across the Interior. A few showers will affect parts of eastern Qld and southern WA, mainly on Saturday, although most of both states will be dry over the weekend. Image: Capital city forecasts for the King’s Birthday long weekend. Be safe this long weekend The cold, wet and windy weather impacting southeastern Australia over the long weekend will cause hazardous conditions in some areas, particularly in the mountains where temperatures will be cold enough to cause ice and snow. Damaging winds will also be a threat in some areas. Be sure to check the latest weather warnings and road conditions before heading out this long weekend.

05 Jun 2025, 5:53AM UTC

Rain, and plenty of it, is heading to Adelaide, Melbourne and Hobart – three Australian capital cities which have all experienced significant rainfall deficits to date in 2025. Before this week, you could have added Perth to the list of cities that desperately needed a drop, after five consecutive below-average rainfall months to start the year. But things are starting to look up after a wet finish to May and 61.8mm in the first five days of June which included the city's wettest day in 11 months. Now large parts of southeastern Australia are in line for a good soaking. An approaching cold front will usher in the first round of rain from Friday into Saturday, with a continuation of cold, wet weather into the weekend as a low pressure system centred over Bass Strait pushes more moisture onshore to both Tasmania and the mainland. Image: Predicted total rainfall accumulation to Wednesday, June 11, according to the ECMWF model. Let’s break down the positive news for the parched southeastern capitals, one city at a time. Adelaide At least some rain is possible in Adelaide on each of the next six days, beginning Friday. The period from Friday through to Sunday looks the wettest, with a good chance of total falls in the 20-40mm range across those three days. To date this year, Adelaide has seen just 47mm, so it’s conceivable that the entire year’s rainfall to date could be eclipsed in the coming week. With Adelaide’s combined water storages at just 36%, every drop is needed. Sunday will also be super chilly in Adelaide. The predicted high of 13°C would make it by far the coldest day of 2025 to date. Melbourne Melbourne had a solid start to 2025 in terms of rainfall, with an above-average January followed by February and March totals that were very close to average. But April and May both saw less than half the monthly average, so not too many locals will complain about the coming rain. The coming weather system is unlikely to send a deluge Melbourne’s way, however it is quite a dynamic system so showers should be persistent over the next six days. The period from Saturday through to Tuesday looks most likely to deliver daily totals of up to 10mm or slightly more. It will also be cold throughout this period, with a maximum of 13°C (or possibly a degree or two less) expected on Sunday, and maximums no higher than 15°C for the next six days. If you’re going to the Carlton vs Essendon AFL match at the MCG on Sunday evening, rug up! Hobart Hobart had four very dry months to start the year, then a wettish May that slightly exceeded the monthly average. There’s the potential for a shower on Friday and Saturday, but the action really ramps up on the weekend with the potential for total falls of 20-50mm or slightly more from Saturday through to Wednesday. Due to the position of the low as its centre slowly moves from west to east just north of Tasmania, moist winds will funnel towards the state from different directions at different times – so if your clothes are drying on the back porch one day, don’t assume they’ll be safe the next day! READ MORE: Polar blast to deliver long weekend snow in Aussie Alps As for the other southeastern capitals, Canberra tends to see less rain than Adelaide or Melbourne from systems like this due to the rain shadow effect of the mountains to the west of the city. However, some showers are likely from Saturday through to Tuesday. As for Sydney, it will miss most of the rain, as is also common with cold winter systems like this where the heaviest rain tends to fall west of the divide. While a light shower is possible from Sunday through to Tuesday, the city can enjoy a well-earned break from heavy rain after accumulating 813.2mm in the city’s main gauge so far this year.