Sydneysiders have endured a freezing start to Thursday morning as the “feels like” temperature dropped to 0C.
Frosty conditions have persisted across mush of Australia’s south-east this week, bringing cold nights and icy mornings with patches of wet weather to some cities.
Earlier this week, Sydneysiders woke up to their coldest morning since last winter at 6.4C.
Sky News Meteorologist Marina Neuman said Sydney experienced a real-feel temperature of 0C at 7.30am compared to the actual forecast of 6.3C.
“Temperatures certainly dropped last night. Currently still -3C in Canberra, Sydneysiders 6C, Brisbane 12C,” Neuman said during her morning weather update.
“But just because that’s what your dashboard is saying, it doesn’t really capture just how cold it actually feels.
“Our real-feel temperatures right now, the apparent temperatures, it actually feels like right now in Sydney 0C.”
According to Bureau of Meteorology data, Sydney’s Observation Hill recorded an apparent temperature of 0C at 7am, six degrees colder than the actual temperature of 6.3C.
At 7.30am, the real-feel temperature was 0.9C compared to the forecast of 6.1C.
Sydney was yet to enter the double-digits by 9.30am, with the actual temperature recorded at 9.8C while still feeling like a chilly 5.4C.
At 7am, Sydney Olympic Park showed an apparent temperature of 1.5C compared to the actual forecast of 4.0C.
The average temperature range for Sydney in June typically sits between 9C and 17C.
An “apparent” or “feels like” temperature is how the outside temperature is perceived to the human body while taking into account other weather factors, like wind speed and humidity.
“The air temperature doesn’t always paint a full picture of how conditions will impact us,” Neuman told SkyNews.com.au.
“The ‘real feel’ or the apparent temperatures describe how the temperatures actually feel to our bodies, by taking into account factors like humidity, wind speed, rain and cloud cover.
“So on a very cold day, like today, wind causes the air to feel even colder on our skin, than the air temperature may reflect.
“This is because of a process called convection, where wind removes the layer of warm air that normally surrounds your body, causing you to lose heat faster.”
Meanwhile, the apparent temperatures in Dubbo and Tamworth sat at -4.4C and -4.6C at 7.30am, respectively.
The Harbour City is predicted to reach a top of 17C on Thursday.
A similar forecast is expected on Friday before slightly warmer temperatures arrive heading into Saturday and Sunday.
Meanwhile in other parts of the south-east, Victoria looks likely to cop the brunt of the cold and frosty winter conditions leading into the weekend.
Fog is likely to blanket Melbourne on Friday, with a minimum temperature of 6C and top of 16C.
More fog and frost are expected in the city’s outer suburbs on Saturday and Sunday, according to the Bureau.
The national weather said “icy cold mornings are forecast for much of Australia for the rest of the week”.
“Most of central and eastern parts will have clear skies and calm winds,” the Bureau wrote on X.
“The days will be sunny and mild but the nights will be cold.”
