Mount Hotham Airport dropped to minus 5.0 degrees at 3.56am on Saturday, the coldest reading in Victoria overnight, as the frost the Bureau of Meteorology warned about on Friday moved across the state's north east and into the South Australian Riverland.
In the Victorian alps, Falls Creek reached minus 2.6 at 7.19am and Mount Buller minus 1.7 at 7.35am. Below the snowline, Rutherglen fell to minus 2.4 at 3.52am, Wangaratta to minus 1.7 and Albury to minus 0.8. The observations were issued at 10.22am EST.
The Bureau's warning on Friday forecast minus 3 for parts of the North East district, with severe frost and the possibility of significant crop damage, and minus 2 across the rest of the state. The alps went colder than that. The cropping districts came in a little milder.
Kerang Airport recorded minus 2.6 in the Mallee, Hopetoun Airport minus 1.9, Charlton minus 1.0, Swan Hill minus 0.9 and Mildura minus 0.7. In the Wimmera, Horsham fell to minus 1.7, Longerenong to minus 1.3 and Stawell to minus 0.1. Warracknabeal Airport did not drop below zero, bottoming out at 0.2.
South Australia's coldest reading was Renmark Airport at minus 2.8 at 7.03am, with Loxton at minus 2.5. Port Pirie Airport reached minus 0.7 and Clare minus 0.4. In the Lower South East, Naracoorte touched 0.0 and Mount Gambier 0.3. Those observations were issued at 10.01am CST. The South Australian warning had covered the Mid North, Riverland, Murraylands and Lower South East to minus 2.
All of those are screen temperatures, taken at standard instrument height. The Bureau's advice with both warnings was that ground level can be several degrees colder in calm conditions under clear skies, which is the reading that matters to a crop.
One warning remains current. The Bureau issued a warning to sheep graziers for the Snowy Mountains forecast district at 4.40am EST on Saturday, product IDN29000, forecasting cold temperatures, showers and northerly winds through Saturday and Sunday, with a risk of losses to lambs and sheep exposed to those conditions. The next update was due by 11am EST.
Marine wind warnings are current for Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania, with six ocean wind warnings running for Metarea 10. The Northern Territory has no active warning.
The Bureau said on Friday that no further frost warnings would be issued for this event. The Snowy Mountains grazier warning runs through Sunday and is updated on the Bureau's warnings summary.
