‘Very strong’: Cold front set to sweep through several states

Several states are expected to shiver through a “very strong” cold snap in coming days, with severe weather warnings in place.

Large parts of Australia face a cold week ahead as a high pressure system intensifies across the south east.

Parts of Victoria, NSW, Tasmania and South Australia are due to experience morning temperatures 4 to 8 degrees below average, the Bureau of Meteorology warned.

Daytime maximum temperatures are also expected to remain several degrees below average for most of the week.

“Essentially we’ve seen a very strong cold front moving across the south east parts of Australia over the weekend,” senior meteorologist Miriam Bradbury said.

Melbourne was set to experience its coldest day since 2019 on Monday, with temperatures in the CBD forecast to reach a top of just 10 degrees.

Strong south-westerly winds made it feel much colder than it actually was, however afternoon sunshine brought some relief and a chance to defrost ahead of more cold weather overnight.

Melbourne will see a string of far colder mornings than usual this week. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Geraghty

A severe frost warning was in place for Victoria’s north and northeast on Tuesday morning.

“It will be the first in a run of very cold mornings across the state, with minimums typically between -4 and 1 degree C across Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings,” the BOM said.

“Afternoons are likely to be crisp, with light winds and lots of sunshine.”

Afternoons are expected to be somewhat warmer as expected sunshine brings some relief. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Luis Enrique Ascui

Some parts of far southern Tasmania recorded snow flurries at sea level early Monday, while the snowline reached as low as 300m around Hobart.

The low-level snow prompted both a Bushwalkers Alert and a Road Weather Alert for large parts of Tasmania, warning of snowy and potentially icy roads and adverse conditions.

“Conditions are forecast to ease on Tuesday as the next ridge of high pressure moves in, with settled conditions expected on Wednesday through to Friday,” Ms Bradbury said.