50 degrees of difference in dramatic Australian weather contrast
Australia has recorded a temperature differential of almost 50 degrees within just half a day, as the northwest and southeast of the country experience vastly contrasting weather conditions.
Between 2 and 3 pm on Wednesday in northwest Western Australia's Kimberley region, two locations exceeded 47 degrees. The town of Fitzroy Crossing hit 47.1°C while Mandora (a cattle station) reached 47.4°C. Both were monthly records.
Between 2 and 3 am this Thursday in the Victorian high country, Mt Hotham dipped to -2.5°C, Australia's lowest recorded overnight temperature. That was precisely 49.9°C colder than the temperatures measured just half a day earlier at the diagonally opposite end of the country.
Meanwhile just over the border in New South Wales, a little fresh snow settled at the top of Thredbo, as the snow cam image taken just before 9 am this Thursday shows (temperatures were unavailable due to an outage at Thredbo Top Station automated weather station).
Image: Light snow at the top of Thredbo on the morning of Thursday, November 5, 2026. Source: ski.com.au.…
Why is it so hot in northwestern WA?
A heatwave has been underway since Monday in WA's northwest due to a slow-moving upper-level high pressure system which has allowed a very hot air mass to build over the region without dissipating.
Image: Heatwave severity for the three days from this Thursday, November 5, 2026, in Western Australia and nearby states. Source: Weatherzone.
The heatwave continues this Thursday with the mining town of Marble Bar in the Pilbara expecting a maximum around 46°C. Even the coastal Pilbara town of Port Hedland could reach a temperature around 45°C this afternoon.
While the Kimberley and Pilbara regions are both typically hot at this time of year with average maximums of 40°C or higher at many locations (indeed November is typically Fitzroy Crossing's hottest month before tropical influences knock a few degrees off during summer), many locations are still experiencing a run of maximums several degrees above average.
Why so cold in southeastern Australia?
A cold front whipped through the southeast overnight, and while it wasn't a particularly strong or wet system, it still brought in enough moisture and cool air from the south to trigger a few snow flurries on the peaks of Australia's highest mountains.
A stronger cold front will surge across the southeast on Friday evening. This one will also trigger some snow showers, but its colder air mass should cause snow to fall to elevations as low as 800 or 900 metres on the mainland and 500 metres in southern Tasmania.
The bottom line is that Australia is a vast land of weather contrasts on any day or month of the year.
But sometimes – and especially during spring – parts of the country see extremes typical of summer while other parts experience wintry conditions, and the usual contrasts between regions thousands of kilometres apart are hugely magnified.