Sub-zero mornings and chilly days, has winter finally arrived in Wagga?

At 3.30am on Sunday, the mercury officially dropped below zero for the first time this year, eventually clocking in at a frosty -3.1 degrees at around 7am, although it felt more like -5.0.

It was the coldest night for Wagga since July 2022 and a full nine degrees below the May average, while the city hasn't seen an Autumn temperature as cold in 18 years.

A spokesperson from the Bureau of Meteorology said below average temperatures were felt right across the Riverina during the weekend.

"A cold front crossed south-eastern Australia during the weekend with some gusty southerly winds bringing cool, dry air," they said.

"On Saturday, maximum temperatures across the Riverina reached the mid-teens, with Wagga getting up to 16.6 degrees and Griffith 15.5 degrees.

"Predominantly clear skies with an easing of wind resulted in frosty morning temperatures on Sunday... despite the mostly sunny skies, the maximum temperatures on Sunday [across the Riverina] again reached only around 15 degrees, around four or five degrees below the average."

The official maximum of 14.1 for Wagga marks the coldest day of 2024 so far, though it didn't feel warmer than nine degrees all day.

Wagga did feel a reprieve from the bone-chilling temperatures on Monday, only dropping to six degrees, with more cold nights expected as winter inches ever closer.

Minimum temperatures will stay hovering around zero and one degree for the rest of the week, while maximums won't warm out of the teens until Sunday, the Bureau predicts.

However the Bureau's long range forecast for the region indicates the possibility of warmer than average conditions shouldn't be discounted.

"The long range forecast for the Riverina shows a very high likelihood for maximum and minimum temperatures to be above the seasonal average when taking into account the whole winter period," the Bureaus spokesperson said.

"June and July are also showing a very high likelihood of above median maximum and minimum temperatures.

"The Riverina is more likely to see above median rainfall than below median rainfall through the winter months."

The Bureau will release its official long range winter forecast next week.