UDATE: FAR Northerners woke this morning to the coldest day on record since 2001 with the mercury falling 8C below regional averages.

There was wide-spread frost on the Tableland from Ravenshoe to Atherton and the temperature fell to 8C in Cairns, only 1C off the 1965 record of 7.3C.

Temperature results are still rolling into the bureau but Mareeba recorded a nippy 6C and there is an unofficial recording of 3C at Tolga.

Weather bureau duty forecaster Alicia Duncanson told cairns.com.au the cold snap was a significant weather event but the temperature was now on the way up.

"This morning should be the worst and, from now on, the temperature should come up 1-2C a day and, by the end of the weekend, averages should be back to normal.

Ms Duncanson said the cold snap was caused by pool of cold air in southeast Queensland.

"The cold air was push north by southerly winds."

Yesterday, Lockhart River dropped to a chilly 10C – 9C below average.

But it was still above the lowest temperature recorded in the Cape community – 3.3C in 1965.

Forecasters were predicting an even "colder snap" today with Cairns expecting its coldest temperature for 2008 at 11C.

Forecaster Michelle Hollister said July was typically the coldest month but low temperatures could also happen in August.

"It is still quite possible we will get a colder snap," she said yesterday.

"A cold pool which originated over Queensland is being dragged up to the northern tropics by a southerly flow resulting from a high pressure ridge.

"It is still quite possible we will get a colder snap. It’s drying out the air which allows us to get cooler at night."

Ms Hollister said temperatures closer to the long-term average minimum for August, of 17C, should be expected by the weekend.

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