A contrasting mix of late-spring weather just caused a massive 50ºC temperature range across Australian during the last 24 hours.

The weather is always dynamic in Australia at this time of year, thanks to stifling hot air masses building up over the tropics and regular pulses of much colder air sweeping over southern Australia.

These contrasting weather patterns and temperatures produced a wild mix of weather across Australia over the last few days.

On the weekend, severe thunderstorms smashed SA on Saturday before record-breaking rain produced flash flooding in NSW on Sunday. On Monday and Tuesday, temperatures soared into the low forties over the Kimberely in WA. Then on Tuesday and Wednesday, snow fell in southeastern Australia and parts of central NSW and the ACT were hit by hail and graupel.

The weather in Australia over the last few days has been captivating. But perhaps the most phenomenal thing that happened was a 50ºC temperature contrast across the continent within a 12-hour window.

A lingering pool of hot air over the northern inland of WA caused the temperature at Fitzroy Crossing to reach 43.0ºC 2:40pm AWST on Tuesday. Just 11 hours later, the weather station at Mount Hotham in Victoria registered a temperature of -7ºC at 4:42am AEDT on Wednesday. Note that there is a three hour time difference between WA and Victoria at this time of year.

This isn’t the first time Australia has seen a temperature range of near 50ºC within 24 hours. Back in September 2018, Thredbo Top Station dropped to -9.7ºC early on Monday 24th and later that day, the mercury rose to 40ºC at Kununurra in WA.

Australia is known as a land of extremes and over the last 24 hours, it has certainly lived up to this reputation.