An powerful arctic snap has hit Australia, bringing extreme weather and possibly snow to vast swaths of the east coast, with the weather forecast to linger well into the week.
On Monday, the Bureau of Meteorology issued a severe weather warning for New South Wales, predicting damaging gusts of up to 40 km/hr for the following three days.
Winds gusted to 90 km/h in Sydney within hours, causing serious damage to a black Mercedes that was crushed by a fallen tree branch near Double Bay, in the city’s east.
Wild winds and torrential downpours caused widespread destruction across the harbour city, including Lindfield, Turramurra, St Ives and Killara on the north shore and Dural in the north-west.
Storms left behind a trail of destruction on the streets of Newcastle while the Blue Mountains has seen its first snow for 2022 west of Lithgow.
Sydneysiders will need to rug up for the next three days as temperatures plummet to a low of 8C each day.
Gale force warnings remain in place right along the NSW coast from Byron Bay in the north to Eden in the south.
Damaging winds with peak gusts reaching up to 90 to 100km/h are likely on and east of the Great Dividing Range, with gusts to 110km/h continuing through to Tuesday.
Newcastle, Sydney, Wollongong, Grafton, Coffs Harbour, Taree, Nowra, Armidale, Canberra and Goulburn are among the regions in the firing line.
Due to a lot of wind chill it will feel colder feel colder than the real temperature,’ BOM meteorologist Stephen Tefanac told NewsCorp.
‘Wednesday will be the coldest day. At a 14 to 15 degree maximum and a minimum of eight degrees.’
Sheep graziers are warned cold temperatures, rain and showers and strong westerly winds with continue on Tuesday.
‘There is a risk of losses of lambs and sheep exposed to these conditions,’ the bureau warned.
Affected regions include the Hunter, Northern Tablelands, Illawarra, Central Tablelands, Southern Tablelands, Central West Slopes & Plains, South West Slopes, Riverina, Snowy Mountains, the ACT and parts of the Mid North Coast, South Coast, North West Slopes & Plains and Lower Western forecast districts.
At Lord Howe Island, a low pressure system over the southern Tasman Sea will deepen early Tuesday bringing gusts exceeding 90 km/h and damaging surf conditions with waves in excess of five metres, which could create significant beach erosion on Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday.
Elsewhere across the state, part of southern NSW have shivered through their coldest May day on record as maximum temperatures plummeted 8-10C below the May average.
Cooma Airport reached a top of 4.1C on Monday, its coldest May day since records started there three decades ago.
Bega also recorded its coldest day in 57 years with a top of 11C while in the nation’s capital, Canberra reached a maximum of 8C.
Perisher received a 10cm dumping of white power while nearby ski resort Thredbo said it had been snowing all day.
The weather bureau said a strong cold front currently moving east was to blame for conditions.
‘Residents of southeast South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania and eastern New South Wales and parts of southern Queensland will be impacted by this system,’ the bureau said.
‘Significant snow and rain with possible severe thunderstorms and hail is also expected … mostly impacting western and central NSW, and western Victoria and Melbourne.’
Perisher received a 10cm dumping of white power while nearby ski resort Thredbo said it had been snowing all day.
The weather bureau said a strong cold front currently moving east was to blame for conditions.
‘Residents of southeast South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania and eastern New South Wales and parts of southern Queensland will be impacted by this system,’ the bureau said.
‘Significant snow and rain with possible severe thunderstorms and hail is also expected … mostly impacting western and central NSW, and western Victoria and Melbourne.’
Small hail and possible snow down to 700m on Tuesday,’ the bureau tweeted.
Damaging gusts of 90km/h are also forecast over the north and northwest of the state bringing falls of 10-20mm and possible thunderstorms.
It comes as experts warn large swathes of the country will see a wetter than average winter after the east coast was hammered with rain earlier this year.
David Taylor, who runs the Brisbane Weather and East Coast Weather Facebook pages, said there was a 70 to 80 per cent chance most of Australia would be hit with above average rainfalls due to the lingering La Niña.
Mr Taylor said polar blasts delivering freezing Antarctic air would trigger routine downpours and above average snowfalls as winter quickly approaches.
If blasts of icy air combine with moisture, ‘good heavy falls of snow’ are expected to fall across the snowfields and New England in NSW’s northeast, he said.
‘The chance for above average snowfall is at it’s highest,’ Mr Taylor said.
A map compiled by Daily Mail Australia using the Bureau of Meteorology’s climate data search function has revealed the lowest July temperatures in recorded history.
It shows Canberra recorded the lowest temperature freezing -8C while Hobart and Melbourne hit a chilly -2.8C.
Perth’s lowest temperature was 0C while Adelaide was marginally warmer at 0.4C, with Brisbane and Sydney plunging to 2.3C and 2.2C respectively.
Mr Taylor said there was a chance that temperatures could drop that low this winter, but predicted temperatures would be generally above average.
However, Chris Matthews, a meteorologist at Weatherzone, predicted below average maximum temperatures this winter.
Mr Matthews said the east coast down to Hobart would be hammered with rain due to a persisting La Niña event that was ‘keeping the country wet’.
Cloud cover hindering any sunshine will trigger below average maximum temperatures and above average minimum temperatures, he said.
It’s a similar story on the west coast with increased rainfall to hit both sides of the country bringing higher moisture levels.
The moisture will ensure minimum temperatures remain only marginally warmer this winter.
Meanwhile, residents across Australia are already struggling to keep warm as the first of many polar blasts rips across the country, bringing a frosty Monday morning.
Mr Matthews said the polar blast caused by cold air travelling from the south was to be expected as the country makes the transition from autumn to winter.
He said last year also saw an early start to the snow season as resorts such as Perisher and Thredbo in the Australian alps already record good temperatures.
Meanwhile, Australia’s east coast is set to be smashed by an intense polar blast which will bring strong winds, heavy rain and even snow.
Multiple weather systems are set to combine this week to bring an exceptionally chilly and damp conditions for much of New South Wales, the ACT, South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania.
Severe weather warnings are now in place for areas stretching from south-east Western Australia across the country, as Australia faces an abrupt start to winter.
The Bureau of Meteorology are predicting the low pressure system will bring Australia’s coldest day of the year on Tuesday, with records to be smashed around the country.
Six of Australia’s eight major cities will see temperatures plummet into single digits, with Canberra falling to a low of 1C on Tuesday.
Hobart will experience a frigid 4C, with Perth marginally better at 5C.
Sydney and Melbourne will see a wet Monday with lows of 8C with Wednesday set to be the coolest day in the Harbour City this week.
The NSW capital could fall as low as 7C later in the week, while Dubbo, Mudgee and the Northern Tablelands will crash below zero.
Huge waves are expected to batter the NSW coastline, with beaches expected to be closed down the state.
Victoria issued a severe weather warning for damaging winds in Mallee, in the state’s northwest, and for parts of the north and north east forecast districts.
South Australia will also see dangerous ocean conditions, while blizzards could batter the state’s east and into Victoria.
