How's this for role reversal? While we're sat here in Great Britain, sweating profusely, cursing the lack of air con and being all red and sunburnt, a very different set of circumstances are unfolding down under.
Australia has been in the throes of a giant freeze as temperatures plummet to below -5C, the lowest recorded on the country's east coast in ten years.
Australia's Capital Territory battled through four consecutive days below -5C, while southern parts of the ACT dropped to -6C in the last week.
The frigid conditions aren't helped by the torrential rain that has been accompanying them in parts of the country, with the wetness and wind making temperatures feel even colder still.
Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) meteorologist Jim Richardson told Daily Mail Australia that parts of the country should be expecting up to 50mml before Wednesday.
"It's coming from an upper trough in the west ... showers are expected far south-west in Queensland today and will extend to parts of the central interior and southern central regions," Mr Richardson said.
"It will move west and clear from the west on Wednesday ... we'll see totals of around eight to 30mml possible and a bit more if you're under a storm."
He added: "The upper trough in the main rain band clears off shore on Thursday, there will still be a little bit of patchy rain lingering through the central and southern districts."
Advert
Winter begins at the start of June in Australia and finishes around the end of August but extreme temperatures and harsh conditions are usually quite rare.
However, the weather hasn't come as much of a surprise to some, as there were predictions back as early as March that the mercury was set to take a nosedive.
David Taylor, who runs the East Coast Weather Facebook page, predicted that temperatures and snowfall would be worse than previous years.
"It will be slightly cooler than normal in the north but the real cold will be in the southern states and southeast Queensland," Taylor told the Cairns Post.
"I wouldn't be surprised if there is snow in places where it hasn't snowed for a long time."
Featured Image Credit: lucybarbour / InstagramTopics: Weather, World News, Australia
