Ellen Wescott-Dawson

Darwin and other parts of Northern Australia have just had their coldest May on record.

According to weatherzone.com.au, Darwin’s average temperatures were more than two degrees colder than average by night and more than a degree colder than average by day, with overnight minimum’s averaging 19.9 degrees, and daytime maximums just under 31 degrees.

It turned out to be the coldest May on record, equal with May 1960, averaging just 25.3 degrees, almost two degrees colder than the long-term norm. “The cold has affected every district in the Northern Territory”, Weatherzone meteorologist Brett Dutschke told The Age.

Dutschke said three strong cold fronts had resulted in a grey sky and chilly southerly winds. “We’ve had an hour-and-a-half less sunshine per day, giving us many gloomy days,” he said. “The long-term May average is four hours of sunshine per day”.

Katherine also had its coldest May in more than 20 years, with average overnight minimums at just 14 degrees, about two-and-a-half degrees colder than the long-term average. Katherine’s daytime maximums averaged just under 30 degrees, more than two degrees colder than the long-term average.

Alyangula on Groote Eylandt, Wollogorang and Tennant Creek all had record cold May nights. Alice Springs also had a cold May, with combined daytime and overnight temperatures the lowest in 11 years. Read more.

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This compares with the analogs (years with similar PDO, ENSO, solar) very well for May

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Melbourne has coldest May in 40 years
By Benjamin Preiss

Melbourne shivered through the coldest May days in 41 years with a cloudy sky adding to the teeth-chattering temperatures. Weather forecasters predict the gloom will continue as the usual winter cold fronts move in.

The maximum temperature averaged 16.3 degrees C while the mercury barely pushed past 12 degrees C on May 11, the coldest day this month. Despite the bleak days, nights were mild with an average minimum of 9.6 degrees, which is slightly warmer than May last year.

In regional Victoria, Ballarat also recorded its coldest May since 1970, with an average maximum temperature of 12.3 degrees.

The official start to the ski season might be two weeks off but snow began falling in the state’s mountains this month.

At Falls Creek, ski operators reported up to 15 centimetres of snow this month. REsorts at Mount Hotham and Mount Buller received similar amounts of snow. Melbourne’s outer suburbs were also dusted in powder on May 11.

Read more