Temperatures plunged well below freezing across inland parts of Victoria on Saturday morning; the coldest May morning in decades for some parts.

She-Oaks reached a frosty –0.9°C, its coldest May morning in 27 years, with Avalon (-0.6°C) and Rhyll (6.0°C) shivering through their coldest May morning since 2006. A handful of other locations over central Victoria had their coldest mornings in more than 10 years, including Essendon (0.4°C), Latrobe Valley (-0.8°C) and Moorabbin (1.0°C).

The coldest location across the state was a mind-numbing –4.3°C in Omeo. Yarram was a close second, falling to 4.2°C below zero, a temperature not reached in the previous three winters and 11°C below its May average.

The states capital Melbourne was not free from the chill, falling to 3.6°C, its coldest morning since early August last year.

Image: Temperatures and Satellite on Saturday morning

The frosty conditions were brought on by a strong high pressure system sitting squarely over the state, keeping winds light and skies crystal clear, allowing the ground to cool rapidly overnight.

This high pressure system will still be over the state over the next few mornings, likely meaning the frosty starts are not done yet. However, stronger winds overnight ahead of the next front will start to bring a slow rise in overnight temperatures over during the start of next week.