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Millions of Australians will shiver through another Arctic week, with temperatures falling below average as a cold system moves in across much of the country.
Temperatures in southeast Australia are expected to fall between 2 and 6°C below average, while parts of the Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia could see temperatures between 6 and 10°C below average.
The cold weather is caused by a high pressure system that followed a cold front that swept through the region over the weekend.
Weather zone While high pressure is common after a cold front, the system will stall over Tasmania on Monday before becoming what experts are calling a “blocking peak” on Tuesday morning.
The large slow-moving system is expected to bring a prolonged period of cold nights and days with widespread morning fog and patches of frost across parts of Victoria and southern New South Wales.
The blocking high is also forecast to be so strong that it will even challenge Australia’s all-time atmospheric pressure record.
In Queensland and northern New South Wales, high pressure will bring persistent southeasterly winds to the coast, increasing the chance of rain each day.
Across the rest of northern Australia, southern high pressure will increase winds, leading to warmer days.
The winds are also increasing the danger of fires in the region, as July marked the start of the wildfire season in northern Australia.
Temperatures are forecast to fall between 2 and 6°C below average in southeastern Australia and between 6 and 10°C below average in parts of the Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia.
The weather system is expected to bring a prolonged period of freezing nights and cold days to Victoria and southern New South Wales (pictured, a pedestrian in central Sydney)
For parts of South Australia and Western Australia, the high pressure system along with cold fronts will likely bring rainfall for longer periods than normal.
Brisbane
It’s a wet start to the week for Brisbane residents.
Up to 20mm of rain is forecast for Tuesday and 10mm on Wednesday, before easing towards the end of the week.
Possible showers are forecast from Thursday before increasing over the weekend, with up to 4mm expected to fall on Sunday.
Maximum temperatures will remain between 19 and 20 degrees during the week, while minimum temperatures will be between 19 and 25 degrees.
Sydney
Showers are forecast throughout the week, with the heaviest rainfall of up to 15mm expected on Tuesday.
Between 7 and 9 mm of rain is expected to fall each day from Wednesday to Sunday.
Maximum temperatures will remain between 10 and 10 degrees Celsius, while minimum temperatures will stabilize between 10 and 11 degrees Celsius.
Canberra
Canberra residents are in for a cool but relatively dry week, with partly cloudy weather forecast well into the weekend.
Frost is expected in the morning on Tuesday and Wednesday, while a slight chance of rain is forecast from Thursday through the weekend.
The mercury will drop to a freezing -2°C on Tuesday and 0°C on Wednesday, with minimum temperatures peaking at 3°C.
Maximum temperatures for the week will remain between 10 and 10 degrees Celsius.
Weatherzone explanation: While high pressure is common after a cold front, the system will stall over Tasmania before becoming what experts call a “blocking anticyclone”. The system is also set to challenge Australia’s all-time atmospheric pressure record (pictured)
For parts of South Australia and Western Australia, the high pressure system is likely to bring rainfall for longer periods than normal (pictured: people walking on Henley Beach, Adelaide)
Melbourne
A cold and dry week is forecast for Melbourne, with partly cloudy days ahead next week.
Maximum temperatures are expected to be between 12°C and 14°C.
The mercury will fall to a cool 1°C on Wednesday, with minimum temperatures stabilizing between 2°C and 3°C for the rest of the week.
The blocking of the high pressure system will also bring frost to some areas of the city and the possibility of morning fog for most of the week.
hobart
Australians in Hobart are in for a cool but mostly sunny week, with temperatures set to reach a high of 11°C to 12°C, while lows will range between 2°C and 3°C.
Meanwhile, in Launceston, temperatures are forecast to fall below zero for the next seven consecutive mornings.
Adelaide
Cool and dry weather is forecast for the start of the week in Adelaide before a chance of showers develops from Thursday to Sunday.
Maximum temperatures will remain around 10 degrees.
Low temperatures on Tuesday and Wednesday will be 4°C, before rising to a low of 10°C on Sunday.
Up to 10mm of rain is forecast for three days from Friday and into the weekend.
Here, two early morning walkers brave the cold weather at Birdsland Reserve in Belgrave South, east of Melbourne.
Perth
Mostly sunny weather is forecast for Perth this week.
The mercury is expected to drop to 6°C on Wednesday, while highs are expected to hit 10 degrees during the week.
Showers and up to 8mm of rain are expected on Tuesday before clearing and then returning over the weekend, with up to 15mm of rain on Sunday.
Darwin
Meanwhile, Darwin residents will escape the cold weather with sunny conditions and temperatures remaining in the 30s well into the weekend.
Minimum conditions will cause some morning temperatures to drop to 17°C and 19°C.
