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Twin cold fronts bringing snow to Tasmania this weekend

A burst of wintry weather will hit Tasmania this weekend, delivering a mix of snow, small hail, rain and blustery winds.

A pair of cold fronts will sweep across Tasmania during the next three days, one on Friday night and another on Sunday.

Image: Satellite image showing a cold front located to the south of Australia on Friday morning.

The first front will cause wind and rain to increase late on Friday as temperatures take a dive into the evening. It should get cold enough for snow to fall to about 700m above sea level on Friday night into Saturday morning, possibly a bit lower. This has prompted a Bush Walkers Weather Alert in the Western and Central Plateau districts, and a Warning to Sheep Graziers in the North West Coast, Midlands, Upper Derwent Valley and the South East districts. Western parts of the state could also see small hail at times on Saturday.

Wind and showers will ease briefly on Saturday morning before increasing again late Saturday into Sunday, ahead of and with the passage of the second cold front. This second frontal system will be stronger than the first, with a good chance of damaging wind gusts in some parts of the state. There will also be more rain, highland snow and small hail in the mix on Sunday.

Image: Forecast wind gusts early on Sunday morning, showing powerful west-northwesterly winds affecting Tasmania ahead of an approaching cold front.

While this weekend’s cold weather is not unusual for this time of year, it will cause dangerous conditions for outdoor activities and travel in some parts of the state. Bu sure to stay up to date with the latest weather warnings and road closures on Friday night and throughout the weekend.