Most of NSW and the ACT are in the grips of a sharp burst of cold weather that has been lingering for several days.

The system has delivered significantly below average temperatures over recent days according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

Strong winds have delivered significant wind chill, making it feel more than five degrees cooler than the actual temperature in many areas.

"On initial data, a number of locations appear to have recorded provisional early season minimum temperature records, with that data to be confirmed in coming days," A BOM spokesperson said.

In our region, Glen Innes recorded a crisp -7.5 degrees Celsius about quarter past 5 this morning, pretty chilly considering the mean lowest temperature for May is 2.1 degrees. The coldest morning ever recorded for Glen Innes was -12.8 degrees in July 2002 and August 2008. The lowest temp ever recorded in May was -9.8 in 2019.

In Tenterfield, this morning's temperature was -5.2 degrees, a fair drop in the thermometer from the town's mean lowest temperature of 4.8 degrees in May. They experienced their coldest ever May in 2006 with a recording of -8.8, not too shy of the lowest ever reading of -10.6 in July of 2006.

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Armidale dropped to minus four degrees in Mann Street this morning, six degrees cooler than the town's mean lowest temp for the month. The nursery recorded their coolest May morning as -7.9 in 2004, and their coldest ever in June 2010 with -11.2 degrees.

It was slightly warmer in Inverell with a reading of -2.4 this morning. The average lowest temp for the Sapphire City for the month of May is 3.6 but their coldest ever recording for the month was -6.2. The town's coldest day was in July 2002 with the mercury hitting -9.5.

And not quite making it to below minus temps like the remainder of our region, was Moree, which recorded a frosty 0.8 about 6.30 this morning. Moree's lowest temp for May was -2.2 in 1965, a far cry from the average of 7.6 for that month. According to BOM's records (and we're not sure if this is a typo) Moree's coldest ever temperature experienced was -14.3, in February of all months, recorded at the post office in 1942.

The spokesperson said. the current conditions were the result of a very cold and dry air mass coming up from the Southern Ocean.

"While conditions are beginning to ease, the cool nights are expected to remain until at least the middle of the week," they said.

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