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ANOTHER freezing polar blast sparks severe weather warnings for east coast

Australia’s east coast is set to shiver through the second week of winter with another polar air mass bringing subzero temperatures and damaging winds.

The system from Antarctica will maintain the cold spell that has settled over much of the country’s south and southeast ensuring freezing conditions.

“What we can expect is southwesterly winds blowing for much of the week, and also with some significant speed,” Weatherzone Meteorologist Yoska Hernandez told Yahoo News Australia.

“Severe weather warnings for sure are going to be issued during this week, particularly for damaging winds.”

Weather map showing freezing temperatures to hit the east coast
By Wednesday, the freezing temperatures will be apparent in central and southeast Queensland, and down the coastline to NSW, Victoria and Tasmania. Source: BOM

Gale force winds to rock the east

Residents are being urged to prepare for powerful winds across much of the east coast this week with gales expected to be around 80 to 90 kilometres per hour in some areas.

“Wind gusts may also exceed 100 kilometres an hour in some areas,” Ms Hernandez said, “especially in the eastern areas of New South Wales and also elevated areas in the Australian Capital Territory and eastern Victoria and Tasmania as well.”

The Bureau of Meteorology has already issued a severe weather warning for damaging winds and blizzard conditions from the Alps to central and southeastern NSW coastal regions.

Conditions are expected to ease later on Monday before they pick up again on Thursday and intensify.

Freezing temperatures to descend

Thermometers will hover about one to four degrees below average in Adelaide, Melbourne, Hobart, Sydney, Brisbane and Canberra for most of the week.

In the harbour city, temperatures are expected to be below 17 degrees celsius every day of this week, a record not seen since 2000.

While it will be the coldest over much of Tasmania, Melbourne and the ACT this week.

On Tuesday, it’s set to hit seven degrees in Melbourne and down to three in Hobart, with Melbournians shivering through two degrees.

The cold air mass will also be felt in south and south eastern Queensland.

“In Toowoomba, it is expected to be below 13 degrees celsius for much of the week with minimum temperatures about one to five degrees in the morning, so pretty cold and probably windy,” Ms Hernandez said.

Canberra with snow covered mountains in the background
Temperatures will drop in Canberra as the polar air mass sweeps through. Source: AAP

Good news for skiers with more snow set to fall

Snow is also a certainty for the highest regions in the eastern states, mainly around eastern Victoria, the ACT and eastern NSW.

“It will be snowing particularly in the alps nearly every day of the week with snow showers, mainly in the Snowy Mountains and probably lower levels outside of the alps from Monday until at least Wednesday,” Ms Hernandez said.

“Then the snow could settle in central and northern NSW in the middle of the week, and possibly in eastern NSW and elevated areas in eastern Victoria.”

“In general, overall, the mainland alps could see about 50 centimetres of snow by the end of this week, and even a bit higher in some more elevated areas.”

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