A POOL of cold air which had moved up from Antarctica was behind the wintry conditions experienced over much of the State this past weekend.
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Many areas received their coldest weather in decades for this time of year.
Weatherzone senior meteorologist Brett Dutschke said some areas were at their coldest this early in the season for the first time in 20 years.
"Typically, you get this cold weather from late May or June, so it is quite unusual for early May," Mr Dutschke said.
"It was a bit of a shock given it had been quite mild in the lead-up to it."
Towns including Gunnedah, Coonamble, Dubbo, Bathurst, Mudgee and Quirindi were among those areas which had not been this cold this early for two decades.
He said Inverell's lowest maximum temperature recorded over the weekend was 10.6 degrees, the coldest this early in the season in at least 66 years.
Wagga Wagga recorded a maximum of 10.8 degrees which was their coldest weather this early in the year for 61 years.
Snow had been recorded at Orange, as well as at Shooters Hill, south of Oberon, and Mr Dutschke said one centimetre of snow had also settled on the ground at Guyra.
This was also the earliest snowfall for Guyra in 20 years.
Maximum temperatures across the State over the weekend were 5 to 10 degrees below the May average, and 6 to 12 degrees below the early May average.
Felt the cold snap over the weekend? Send us your cold weather or snow photos to editorial@theland.com.au
Nick Heydon
The Land's property editor.
The Land's property editor.
