Bitter polar blast to freeze millions of Aussies with snow dumps finally expected on our barren ski fields

By KYLIE STEVENS, SENIOR BREAKING NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 04:01, 2 July 2026 | Updated: 04:01, 2 July 2026 Millions of Aussies are urged to rug up as a chilly winter blast sweeps across the nation this weekend, bringing freezing temperatures and snow. Australia's south-east will feel the brunt of the conditions as a strong cold front lurking over the Great Australian Bight surges towards Tasmania and the mainland on Friday and Saturday. The cold snap follows a mild start to July on the back of an unseasonably warm June along the east coast. Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra all recorded maximum and minimum temperatures above their long-term averages. 'Frigid polar air is associated with this system, with the coldest air to move across Tasmania on Saturday, while the airmass will be cold enough for snowfalls on the Australian Alps from Friday into the weekend,' Weatherzone reported. 'The coldest air from this system will impact Tasmania, with snow to fall as low as 400 metres above sea level by Saturday in the state's south, which means Hobart's highest suburbs could potentially see a few flakes.' A severe weather warning for damaging winds has been issued for Victoria's northeast ranges, with gusts of up to 100 km/h and blizzard conditions forecast. Ski fields in Victoria and NSW will welcome a much-needed dumping of snow from Thursday. A strong cold front lurking over the Great Australian Bight is surging towards Tasmania and the south-east mainland Aussies are urged to rug up as a chilly winter blast sweeps across the nation this weekend NSW ski resort Perisher woke up to a snow storm on Thursday It comes after ski resorts in the NSW Snowy Mountains entered the second month of winter with an official snow depth of zero centimetres for only the second time in 72 years. 'Around 20 centimetres is likely to fall from Friday into the weekend, with the heaviest snow falling on Friday,' Weatherzone added. 'The snow level should drop to around 1000 metres above sea level on the mainland.' Thredbo received 4cm of snow on Thursday morning following an overnight storm, while nearby resort Perisher recorded similar conditions. Elsewhere across the nation, Sydney will see a sunny start to the weekend before the rain returns on Sunday. In the nation's capital, Canberra will reach a high of 12C on the weekend. Melbourne won't be much warmer with a top of fourteen. Adelaide will see a wet start to the weekend with maximum temperatures in the mid-teens. More snow is forecast later this week, giving hope to snow enthusiasts planning a trip to Perisher (pictured) Friday: Min 13 Max 20. Slight chance of a shower in the late morning. Mostly sunny afternoon. Saturday: Min 10 Max 19. Sunny. Winds westerly 15 to 20 km/h becoming light during the day. Sunday: Min 11 Max 17. Cloudy. High chance of showers, most likely in the afternoon and evening. Winds southwesterly 15 to 25 km/h tending southerly 20 to 30 km/h during the day. Monday: Min 13 Max 18  Cloudy. Very high chance of showers. Winds southerly 20 to 30 km/h. Friday: Min 8 Max 15. Partly cloudy. Very high chance of showers, most likely in the morning and afternoon. Saturday: Min 9 Max 14. Cloudy. High chance of showers, most likely in the afternoon and evening Sunday: Min 9 Max 14. Cloudy. Slight chance of a shower in the morning. Friday: Min 15 Max 26. Partly cloudy. Slight chance of a shower in the afternoon. Light winds. Saturday: Min 11 Max 23.  Mostly sunny. Light winds. Sunday: Min 12 Max 22 Partly cloudy. Slight chance of a shower. Monday:   Min 12 Max 20: Partly cloudy. Medium chance of showers. Friday: Min 9 Max 15. Cloudy. High chance of showers, most likely in the early morning. Saturday: Min 8 Max 15. Cloudy. Medium chance of showers, most likely in the afternoon. Light winds. Sunday: Min 6 Max 15. Becoming cloudy. Light winds. Monday: Min 5 Max 16: Partly cloudy. Light winds. Friday: Min 7 Max 18: Partly cloudy. Light winds becoming easterly 15 to 20 km/h in the early afternoon then becoming light in the late afternoon. Saturday: Min 7 Max 20. Mostly sunny. Winds northeasterly 15 to 20 km/h becoming light during the afternoon. Sunday: Min 9 Max 21. Partly cloudy. High chance of showers in the afternoon and evening. Monday: Min 8 Max 19.  Partly cloudy. Medium chance of showers, most likely during the morning. Friday:  Min 5 Max 10. Cloudy. Very high chance of showers, most likely in the morning. Saturday:  Min 2 Max 12. Cloud clearing. Light winds. Sunday: Min 1 Max 12. Partly cloudy. Monday: Min 3 Max 13. Cloudy. Winds south to southeasterly 15 to 20 km/h.  Min 3 Max 13. Cloudy. Winds south to southeasterly 15 to 20 km/h. Friday: Min 22 Max 32.  Slight chance of a shower in the early morning. Sunny day. Saturday: Min 22 Max 33.  Sunny. Winds northeast to southeasterly 15 to 20 km/h tending north to northeasterly during the afternoon then becoming light during the evening. Sunday: Min 22 Max 33. Sunny. Winds east to southeasterly 15 to 20 km/h tending east to northeasterly during the afternoon then becoming light during the evening. Monday: Min 21 Max 32. Sunny. Light winds becoming east to southeasterly 15 to 25 km/h during the morning. Friday: Min 4 Max 13. Partly cloudy. Medium chance of showers, most likely in the afternoon and evening. Saturday: Min 6 Max 10 Partly cloudy. High chance of showers. Sunday: Min 4 Max 11. Cloudy. Slight chance of a shower in the morning. Monday: Min 3 Max 12.  Mostly sunny. Light winds. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. 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