BALLARAT is currently on track to record its coldest May in more than 40 years.With snow likely to fall as low as 1000m above sea level tomorrow, the region is in the midst of being battered by back-to-back cold fronts.Weatherzone meteorologist Brett Dutschke said it would be some time before local residents would see another 15 degree day, and could expect snow as early as the first week of June. “The highest parts of the Grampians could get a little bit of snow this week but more likely sleet, and then the first weekend of winter could be the next time we see a cold burst come through that’s capable of bringing snow.”Mr Dutschke predicted that the upcoming winter would be colder and drier than average, and said people should prepare to rug up right away. “Tuesday and Wednesday this week are looking like being the coldest days, with the temperature unlikely to exceed 10 degrees and may stay colder nine,” he said.“There will be very little chance for warming because we’ll be stuck in southerly winds, but then it should start to dry out.”While temperatures reached 17 degrees on Friday and Saturday, that was after 12 consecutive days of 13 degrees or less.The average maximum temperature for the month is set to stay around 12 degrees, which would make it the coldest May since 1970.Mr Dutschke said the extra chill could be attributed to the decline of the La Nina weather pattern.“There’s been a dramatic change in weather of the past month, going from wet and humid to dry and cold,” he said. “And now that we’re moving out of La Nina, we just don’t have the same moisture in the atmosphere like we did over the last 10 months when La Nina was at its peak.“The heavy rain shut off in about March and the rain we’ve had this weekend has been the most since then.” So far this month Ballarat has recorded 35mm of rainfall, still well short of the May average of 65mm, but already more than the 33mm recorded last May. The city has endured 390mm of rainfall to date in 2011, well above the 240mm average for the first five months of the year.