Grey nomads travelling in the Outback have been left feeling the chill as Outback temperatures have plummeted. Many areas experienced their coldest night in years as the big freeze set in.
One of the chilliest spots to be yesterday was Alice Springs, where it got down to minus 4.9 degrees, nine below average …. and the coldest night there in 10 years! The Stock Journal reports that it was also the coldest night in a decade at Giles, just west of the WA border, where it dipped to 0.3 degrees.
In western Queensland, both Cannington and Longreach had their coldest night in eight years, cooling to near-freezing. It’s been good news for astronomy enthusiasts though, with the clear skies making it a great time for star gazing.
It has been the clear skies combined with the very dry and gentle winds however that have delivered the extreme cold nights. If you are out there somewhere don’t pack your hot water bottle away quite yet. The Stock Journal reports that the next few nights are looking similarly cold across most of the Outback, making most of this week a tough one for campers.
It seems that, from the weekend, winds will pick up and gain a bit of moisture from the Pacific Ocean, enough to make nights a few degrees warmer.
We are told this will be more evident in Queensland, where overnight temperatures should rise above average from Saturday night. It will take until about Monday night for central Australia to warm above average. Oh, and if you think dashing north is a guaranteed ‘chill-buster’, you may have to think again. Victoria River Downs near Gregory National Park in the Northern Territory has just recorded its coldest night in 47 years, getting down to 2.1 degrees.
The Top End will apparently also have to wait until early next week to warm above average. Brrrrrrrr!
