The Gold Coast Bulletin

TIME TO BREAK OUT YOUR WINTER WOOLLIES

- AMBER MACPHERSON

THE Gold Coast is about to cop an icy blast weeks out from the start of winter, bringing an unusually warm autumn to a screeching halt.

Overnight temperatur­es will hover around a comfortabl­e 17C this week before plummeting to just 8C this weekend, seven degrees below the average May minimum.

The Coast has enjoyed a hotter-than-normal autumn, with average maximum temperatur­es for April (28C) and May (26.2C) sitting two degrees higher than usual. Weatherzon­e meteorolog­ist Tom Hough said a cold front was making its way across the southeast corner.

Surfers Paradise and Robina residents can expect the mercury to drop to eight degrees, those in Coomera will be slightly chillier at seven degrees while residents in Nerang will want to get an extra blanket on hand for six-degree mornings on Saturday and Sunday. “There’s a lowpressur­e system, essentiall­y a cold front, moving across the southeast,” Mr Hough said.

“As that moves through and the cold front moves across, there’s going to be a much cooler pool of air behind that.

“It’s definitely going to be Saturday morning that will be the cold one.”

Mr Hough said clear skies would deliver icy mornings followed by warm days.

“Overnight, we’re looking at clear skies, and with that a cooler pool of air, a lot of cooling overnight,” he said.

“If it clouded over during the day there would be a smaller difference between those minimum and maximums during the day.”

TODAY

Easing ESE windswell. Ranging from 2 to 3ft exposed breaks, grading smaller inside the points and bays. Mixing with small S groundswel­l similar levels across northern NSW south facing beaches, grading smaller elsewhere. WIND: Early lighter WSW to SSW inshore tending E to SE 10 to 15 knots during the day.

TOMORROW

Minor E windswell around 2ft+ along exposed breaks, grading smaller inside the points and bays. Mixing with small S groundswel­l at similar levels across northern NSW south facing breaks. WIND: Early light land-breezes tending S 10 to 15 knots during the afternoon.

THURSDAY

Fading E tradewind swell persists around 2ft+ exposed breaks, grading to 1 to 2ft max inside the points and bays and dwindling later. Mixing with long-range S groundswel­l at 2 to 3ft+ northern NSW exposed breaks, grading smaller elsewhere. WIND: Early light WNW tending N during the day and freshening from 10 to 20 knots later.

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 ?? Picture: JERAD WILLIAMS ?? Ariana Margetts is getting set for the cold front that’s expected to hit the Gold Coast this week.
Picture: JERAD WILLIAMS Ariana Margetts is getting set for the cold front that’s expected to hit the Gold Coast this week.
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