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When reading these descriptions of today's weather events, please refer to the charts and tables for support and details. The descriptions serve to point out significant events and add information that is not available elsewhere on the page.
 SA, QLD, NSW: Record cold continues
An area of cold, dry southern air under high pressure continued to dominate eastern AUS, dropping overnight minimum temperatures 6 to 12 below the May average (see the minimum temperature anomaly map and actual temperatures map). The greatest departures from normal covered almost the entire southern third of QLD, where minima over a large area were 10C or more below average. Gympie's low of -0.9 knocked a whopping 1.3C off its previous May record in a 42-year history, while in the far SW, Quilpie's minimum of 1.0 was its lowest in 50 years of observations. Just over the border in NSW, Wanaaring registered a low of -2.0, 2.4 below its previous record in a short 15-year history. Severe frosts were recorded well north of the NSW/QLD border, with the temperature at grass level at Monto and Gayndah dropping to -5.0 and -3.3 respectively, the lowest for May in 30 or more years. Rockhampton, just north of the Tropic of Capricorn, recorded 4.0, 10.2 below the norm while Mackay reported 7.4, 8.1 down. Grain growers on the Central Highlands believe there will be substantial damage to crops with severe frosts following the rain of recent days. Rolleston and Tambo recorded minimum air temperatures of -1.0 and -1.6, but at Tambo the grass thermometer dropped to -6.6.
Cold nights have lingered in parts of SA, particularly around Adelaide, Kangaroo Island, Yorke and Lower Eyre Peninsulas and into the Murray Valley. Cloud drifted into these areas yesterday, reducing normal daytime heating, but cleared to another calm, starry night. Adelaide (Kent Town's) low of 2.9 was only 7.2 below normal, but was the city's coldest May night since the record low at Kent Town of 1.5 on 22 May 1985. Port Lincoln (Eyre Peninsula), Edithburgh (Yorke Peninsula) and Kingscote (Kangaroo Island) had their coldest May nights in their short 12-year climatic history, while Moomba's low of 1.6 broke the record of 2.0 set yesterday. Eudunda's minimum of 0.4 was its lowest for May in 42 years of records, and Loxton equalled its 22-year record of -3.2 set yesterday.
 WA: Cold in the South West
A cold night around Perth and the South West was produced by the same conditions as in the east of the continent, but with a different high pressure system and southern airmass to blame. Outer Perth suburbs of Bickley to the east and Jandakot to the south set May record lows of 3.0 and 0.4. Bunbury's minimum of 0.3 was the lowest recorded for May at any of the three sites where records have been kept over the past 40 years.
VIC: Continuing rain in E Gippsland
The low pressure system that brought record rain to the NSW South Coast over the past two days still lingered to the east of VIC today, directing a procession of heavy showers onto the far East Gippsland coast and inland ranges. Cann River topped the rainlist with 60.6mm falling fairly consistently through the 24 hours to 9am and rain continued through today giving the settlement a total of 177.4mm over the 4 days to 9am Friday, just a little below its total rainfall for the previous 5 months.
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