The Bureau of Meteorology has issued frost warnings covering most of Victoria and four South Australian districts for Saturday morning, with temperatures forecast to fall to minus 3 in parts of Victoria's north east. The Victorian warning was issued at 11.42am EST on Friday, the South Australian warning at 11.10am CST.
The Victorian warning covers the Mallee, Wimmera, Northern Country, North Central, North East, South West, Central, West and South Gippsland and East Gippsland forecast districts. Severe frost is forecast for parts of the North East district alone, where the Bureau said significant crop damage is possible. The other districts are forecast to reach minus 2.
In South Australia the warning covers the Mid North, Riverland, Murraylands and Lower South East, with frosts to minus 2 on Saturday morning.
Those numbers are screen temperatures, taken at standard instrument height. The Bureau's advice with both warnings is that ground level can be many degrees lower, particularly in calm conditions under clear skies. A paddock reading minus 2 on the gauge can be several degrees colder at the crop.
The districts named take in a large part of the Victorian and South Australian cropping belt, and the Riverland and Murraylands carry horticulture as well. The Bureau applied the severe classification only to parts of the North East.
A warning to sheep graziers is current for the Snowy Mountains forecast district in New South Wales. Marine wind warnings are current for every state and for the Northern Territory.
The Bureau has advised that no further warnings will be issued for this event. Both frost warnings apply to Saturday morning, and current warnings for each state are listed on the Bureau's warnings summary.
