Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane weather: Warning issued as polar blast sets in

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Freezing air from Antarctica will create a frosty weekend across Australia and the icy air is expected to linger into next week.

The Bureau of Meteorology has warned temperatures will be as much as eight degrees below average for this time of year.

Forecasters say the arrival of a strong high-pressure system in the Tasman Sea will trap the freezing air across the southeast until well into next week.

'The frigid air will be dragged from Antarctica by a cold front sweeping across the continent this weekend,' Weatherzone said.

'A high-pressure system will quickly follow in the front's path and remain over southern Australia until at least mid-next week, prolonging this cold outbreak.'

There's also a high chance of snow falling in areas from Tasmania to northern New South Wales, even outside the alpine regions.

Gale-force winds, with gusts over 90 km/h, will hit Tasmania and eastern Victoria on Sunday and Monday and are expected to spread to New South Wales by Monday. 

'The fierce winds that are predicted to hit southeastern Australia from this weekend have the potential to topple trees after a prolonged wet period has led to a soggy landscape,' Weatherzone said.

Freezing cold air from Antarctica will see Aussies shiver through a frosty weekend with a polar blast to bring icy winds and frigid temperatures (pictured, people brave the cold in Sydney)

'While winds should continue to be strong across eastern Australia on Tuesday, they should ease below damaging strength as the low moves further east over the Tasman Sea.'

The winds could potentially reach as far as Sydney and the Illawarra region.

Weatherzone said that the strengthening low-pressure system could lead to large and dangerous surf along the coasts of Tasmania, Victoria, and New South Wales from the weekend into early next week. 

Heavy rain will also batter Tasmania and Victoria from the weekend through to Wednesday, it predicts.

Sydney

A shower or two is expected on Friday, however the rain will not be as heavy or frequent as it has been in July to date, Weatherzone said. 

Sydney so far this year has seen four rainy streaks of five days or longer. 

There was 14 days of rain from May 1-14, 11 days from June 30 to July 9, five days from January 14 to to 18 and five days from March 15 to 19. 

Five out of six months in 2024 have exceeded the monthly average with June being the rainiest month so far this year with 368.4mm of rain falling. 

This was almost triple the long-term average of 131.7mm. 

Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Dean Narramore said Sydney could be in for a 'prolonged break' from the wet weather.

'Sunshine is finally returning not just to Sydney but the whole east coast,' he said.

'(The showers are) all gone now, the low that brought that weather has now moved off to Tasmania.'

Meanwhile, the NSW Central Tablelands are expected to see snow flurries at higher levels around 12,000m as early as Sunday or Monday. 

Aussies can expect some very cold nights as temperatures plummet due to the polar blast 

Melbourne

Victoria is in for a wet weekend, and showers are forecast for the rest of the week.

Temperatures will struggle to climb over 15C on Friday, with lows of just 5C.

Meanwhile, snow is expected to fall over elevated areas outside the Victorian Alps with the arrival of a prolonged outbreak of freezing air from Antarctica.

Brisbane

The sunshine state can expect a cool and dry weekend. 

Temperatures will remain below 24C with lows of 10C over the next few days before falling to just 8C next week with maximum temperatures in the low 20s. 

The cold snap comes after a thick blanket of fog developed over southeast Queensland Tuesday evening, with visibility at Brisbane Airport reduced to less than 200m on Wednesday morning.

Canberra

Temperatures will plummet in the nation's capital over the next few days with days to remain cloudy and cold as air is trapped by a low-pressure system. 

Elevated parts of the ACT,  including relatively low hills on the fringe of Canberra and perhaps even parts of the city itself, could see some snow over the next few days. 

A prolonged outbreak of frigid air with Antarctic origins will cause temperatures to plummet (pictured is a Weatherzone map)

Perth

Cold fronts moving through Western Australia are bringing widespread rain and showers with the potential for thunderstorms.

Temperatures will struggle to get over 20C in Perth with Saturday to receive some winter sun after a string of cloudy days.

Adelaide

Adelaide will receive some very cold conditions from Saturday amid an extended burst of cold air from Antarctica spreading across the southeast. 

A high-pressure system is expected to follow and linger over southern parts of the country for the next five days, prolonging the cold weather. 

Rain is also expected to fall over Adelaide for the next few days with maximum temperatures of 16C and lows of just 8C. 

Hobart

Tasmanians will shiver through yet another cold weekend as the low-pressure system moves from the east coast further down the country. 

Like Victoria and SA, Tasmania will receive cold gusty wind and rain. 

Temperatures in Hobart are expected to get as low as 3C on Sunday.

Darwin

Further north in the Northern Territory, conditions are fine and sunny. 

Temperatures will linger between 19C and 33C for the rest of the week.