Queensland weather: Temperatures drop 10C as polar blast sweeps across eastern Australia

A polar blast from Antarctica has swept into Queensland overnight, with temperatures plunging to -4C and reports of widespread frost.

Cold air mass from Antarctica sweeps across Queensland.

Widespread frost is being reported across Queensland this morning as a polar blast originating from Antarctica sweeps into the state, triggering subzero temperatures.

The coldest place this morning is Dalby, which dropped to -4C at 5.39am, while the Brisbane Airport recorded 3.7C at 6am.

It felt like 7C in Oakey at 6am where the actual temperature was -2.3C, while Toowoomba got down to 0.7C but felt like -5.2C.

Weatherzone’s Ashleigh Madden said the frigid air mass that originated from Antarctica had arrived behind a cold front that would linger well into this week.

The satellite image above shows the cold front approaching South Australia on Friday afternoon.

“Behind this cold front you can also see a broad area of speckled cloud,” Ms Madden said.

“This is a telltale sign that a large mass of cold polar air has broken away from the Antarctic region and is venturing into the relatively warm mid-latitudes.”

Ms Madden said Brisbane would see a run of at least four days at nearly 2C below average from today.

The Bureau of Meteorology’s Pieter Claassen said after an unusually warm weekend, temperatures would drop 10C over coming downs.

“Tuesday is likely to be the coldest morning, with a temperature of -5 forecast in Dalby,” he said.

“The entire week will see cold frosty mornings in central and southern parts though, with cool mornings extending to the northeast (areas south of about Ingham, including around Townsville) from Tuesday.”

Sky News Weather meteorologist Rob Sharpe said this the “widespread” frost outbreak would “increase in size and stature into Tuesday and Wednesday”.

“For the southeast of the country, the frost that we saw in Canberra on Saturday morning was just a taste of what is to come through the start of next week,” he said.