Claire Watson
Perth woke up to near freezing temperatures today, with Jandakot recording 1.5 degrees at around quarter to seven this morning.
While coastal locations such as Hillarys and Mandurah saw temperatures closer to 10 degrees, several inland suburbs such as Gosnells, Pearce and Perth city all recorded minima well below 5 degrees.
Neil Bennett from the Bureau of Meteorology says the lower temperatures recorded in Jandakot are related to the lay of the land in the area.
“Jandakot sits in a little hollow of land so cold air drains down into the area. This can result in significantly lower temperatures than at other weather stations.”
He says although Jandakot certainly felt the chill this morning, the wintry temperatures are typical for this time of year.
“It’s pretty much average for late May. Usually we think it’s colder this time of year because we’ve had some really nice warm weather in the last few weeks.”
Karen Childes works at the Jandakot Spud Shed, a 24 hour grocery market.
No relief – Karen Childes said it felt just as cold outside as it was in the cool room at the Jandakot Spud Shed this morning.
She was rugged up to the nines.
“It was bloody freezing this morning. When I went outside my nose and my fingers went numb … it’s always the worst just before the sun comes up at the moment.”
She says she can’t even take off her beanie and gloves inside, with the cool room being kept at the same frosty temperature that was recorded in the area this morning.
“It keeps us warm to be moving around. But I don’t know what I’m going to do when it starts getting really cold – the heater in my car is crap.”
Although cloud cover means temperatures won’t be quite as severe for the rest of May, we can be sure that, in Perth at least, Winter has arrived.
Check out the rest of the weeks forecast in your area here.