PARTS of South Australia, Victoria and NSW have been hit by severe frosts.
Temperatures dropped by as much as five to nine degrees below the August average this week.
On Monday night, the mercury dropped to -13.2 degrees at the top of Thredbo, the coldest it has been anywhere in Australia in six years, and the coldest at that station in 24 years.
The mercury kept dropping on Wednesday morning, with Perisher registering -14.2 degrees making it the coldest temperature anywhere in Australia in eight years. This puts into context how cold it currently is.
Severe frost also hit the lower elevations, particularly in north-east Victoria, getting as cold as -5.7 degrees at Rutherglen, the coldest it has been in August in 94 years, and -4.2 degrees in Yarrawonga which is a 12-year low for any time of year.
Unfortunately this is no good news for the winter crops.
During the past 10 days or so, we have seen cut-off lows breaking off from the belt of westerly winds that usually lies to the south of Australia.
These have been bringing a pool of cold air northwards from the pole leading to the cooler daytime temperatures as they combine rain and cloud.
High pressure systems in the wake of these lows, have then lead to clear skies and light winds which have combined with the lingering cold air to bring bitter cold nights and mornings.
This comes after a winter in which we have seen stubborn high pressure systems over central Australia, keeping these lows at bay and further south than usual for winter.
During the coming days, however, a low pressure trough moving east from WA will cause wind and cloud to increase across the eastern states, helping most places stay warmer than early this week.
