Brace yourself for a chilly winter trifecta

AN Antarctic blast is about to deliver a winter trifecta of heavy rain, low snow and strong wind across parts of the state heading into the weekend.

Yesterday delivered a taste of what’s to come, with the temperature climbing to just 9.2C in Hobart, 7.9C in Launceston, 2.8C in Liawenee and 0.8C on kunanyi/Mount Wellington.

Hobart will reach a chilly top of just 10C today, tomorrow and Sunday before some slight relief from the cold weather arrives on Monday.

The city and central suburbs are expected to receive between 8-15mm of rain today, with a 90 per cent chance of showers, most likely in the afternoon and evening.

There also will be areas of morning frost and snowfalls to about 700m across the state.

Icy roads will make driving conditions dangerous this morning in susceptible parts of the Central North, Central Plateau, Midlands, East Coast and Upper Derwent Valley districts.

But senior forecaster Glen Perrin said tomorrow was likely to be the “most interesting day by far”.

“The main concern is the amount of rainfall in the elevated areas of the South East on Saturday. You might see local river rises associated with those higher falls,” he said yesterday.

“There will be showers statewide, but little about the Central North.

“At this stage, the West and South East will receive in the order of 10-20mm generally, but locally 20-50mm is possible about the coast and elevated peaks.

“Snowfalls will lower to around 500m in the South and West during the evening, and there will be strong and gusty south to south-westerly winds, which will be lighter about the Central North.”

Despite easing slightly on Sunday as the low moves away over the Tasman Sea, Mr Perrin said the forecast would be similar, with possible hail and early snowfalls to around 600m.

A warning remained in place overnight for sheep graziers in the King Island, East Coast and South East forecast districts.

The Bureau of Meteorology said there was a risk lambs and sheep exposed to the cold temperatures, showers and strong south-westerly winds could be lost.

Several marine wind warnings were also issued, including gale warnings for the Far North West Coast, Lower East Coast, South East Coast and South West Coast.