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Damaging winds, snow and rain are heading to parts of Tasmania, Victoria and New South Wales as an Arctic blast continues to batter the country.
Two low pressure systems in the Tasman Sea have trapped freezing air across all three states, as well as parts of southern Australia.
As a result, temperatures have plummeted, with some parts of the country recording temperatures up to 8°C below average.
Meanwhile, the Bureau of Meteorology has issued severe weather warnings for parts of Tasmania, Victoria and New South Wales this week, including winds strong enough to knock down trees or power lines.
‘Strong winds forecast to hit south-east Australia from this weekend have the potential to topple trees after a prolonged wet spell has led to a soggy landscape,’ Weatherzone said.
‘While winds are expected to remain strong across eastern Australia on Tuesday, they are expected to ease below damaging intensity as the low pressure area moves further east over the Tasman Sea.’
Snow is already falling across the New South Wales Alpine belt, and the Met Office says that combined with strong winds on Monday, there is a risk of blizzards for those living above 1,900 metres above sea level.
The weather system has already created dangerous surf and wave conditions along the coasts of Tasmania, Victoria and New South Wales.
Weather systems will also send the mercury plummeting, with some areas seeing temperatures as low as eight degrees below average (pictured)
Weatherzone predicts heavy rain will also hit Tasmania and Victoria through Wednesday.
Sydney
Sydneysiders are in for a cool but mostly sunny week, with highs expected to remain around 15°C from Monday through the weekend.
Minimum temperatures are expected to drop below 10°C and reach a chilly 6°C on Friday.
Rain is forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday, with up to 1mm of rain on Tuesday and 4mm on Wednesday.
Large, powerful waves are expected on Monday, which will be especially dangerous for those participating in coastal activities such as rock fishing, swimming and surfing.
Melbourne
Melbourne residents are in for a cold and wet week.
Heavy rainfall of up to 20mm is expected on both Monday and Tuesday, before easing to light showers from Wednesday through the weekend.
Highs will struggle to rise above 14°C on Tuesday and Sunday, with lows of just 5°C over the weekend.
Meanwhile, snow is expected to fall on high-elevation areas outside the Victorian Alps as a prolonged blast of icy air from Antarctica approaches.
Millions of Australians living in Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia face a cold and wet week
Brisbane
The capital of the Sunshine State can expect a cool and mostly sunny week.
Maximum temperatures will remain at 19°C during the week before rising a few degrees to 20°C from Friday and over the weekend.
Meanwhile, minimum temperatures are set at 9°C for all days of the week except Saturday, when they will drop to 8°C.
Canberra
Temperatures are set to plummet in the nation’s capital over the next week, with days likely to remain cloudy and chilly as air is trapped by a low pressure system.
Possible rainfall is forecast for all days of the week, with the heaviest rainfall, up to 7 mm, expected on Saturday.
Minimum temperatures will be 1°C on Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday, -1°C on Thursday and Sunday and will drop to -3°C on Friday.
Adelaide
Adelaide is forecast to have a cold and wet week as a prolonged blast of freezing air from Antarctica sweeps across the southeast.
A high pressure system is expected to remain over southern parts of the country for the next five days, prolonging the cold weather.
Maximum temperatures will remain around 15 °C, while minimum temperatures will alternate between 7 °C and 8 °C during the week.
Rain is forecast in Adelaide from Monday through the weekend, with the heaviest rainfall on Friday at up to 15mm.
Perth
Perth will start the week with sunny conditions before the cold front passing through the state brings heavy rain.
Up to 10mm of rain is expected on Wednesday before increasing to 30mm on Thursday.
Showers are expected to continue over the weekend with up to 5mm of rain forecast for Friday and Saturday and 10mm of rain on Sunday.
Temperatures will struggle to rise above 20°C in Perth, with lows ranging from 7°C to 11°C throughout the week.
Hobart
Tasmanians will shiver through another cold and wet week as a low pressure system moves from the east coast into the country’s interior.
Like Victoria and South Australia, Tasmania will see cold winds, gusty winds and rain.
Temperatures in Hobart are expected to drop by as much as 3°C on Friday and reach a high of just 13°C over the next week.
Monday and Tuesday are forecast to be the wettest days, with up to 30mm and 15mm of rain respectively.
Darwin
Meanwhile, Darwin residents will be able to escape the cold weather with sunny conditions and temperatures in the mid-20s to mid-30s well into the weekend.
Minimum conditions will cause some morning temperatures to drop to 15°C and 16°C.