FEELING THE CHILL
TEMPERATURES DROP:
RECORDS tumbled and hail fell as the Far North shuddered through a freakishly chilly weekend.
Far Northerners woke up yesterday to lows of between 14.3C and 14.7C in Cairns, and Cowley Beach near Innisfail recorded a morning temperature of 11.5C about 6.15am.
The chilly day was a far cry from the coldest overnight minimum on record for May, a shuddering 10.1C, in 1953.
“It was the coldest for a very long time in Cairns,” Bureau of Meteorology’s Lauren Pattie said.
Cairns Airport recorded a high of 20.3C on Saturday, slightly colder than the 20.5C reached in May 1990.
Mareeba and Cooktown also clocked new records; the Tablelands community reaching 19.2C, its coldest May maximum since 2012. Cooktown was slightly warmer at 22.3C, still its coldest day since 2002. Atherton was even showered with small hailstones yesterday and the icy mornings may continue in the Tablelands.
Tammy Ali didn’t let the chilly weekend get in the way of a catch-up for her daughter Sofia Kendjelic and her mate Bella East. “It is definitely unusual, we haven’t had jackets on for a while,” Ms Ali said.
“We’ve been catching up with friends – we haven’t been out for ages.”
Cairns can expect a sunny day today with light winds. Temperatures are forecast to range between 14-25C.