Polar blast and damaging winds set to continue for days - 9News

The cold and gale force winds hitting south-east Australia are expected to continue for the next two days with experts warning more icy conditions are on the way.

The Bureau of Meteorology said the polar cold front, which caused the drop in temperature and damaging winds in four states, has now moved offshore.

However, the country's south-east will experience "a very cold and windy air mass" for the next 24 to 48 hours.

Cold weather and damaging winds hit Melbourne's Docklands. (Eddie Jim)

"Temperatures have dropped significantly with the front as cold air moves up from south of the country," the bureau said.

"Strong winds have made the 'feels like' temperature much lower."

The bureau warned the damaging winds may ease briefly on Thursday but another polar blast is set to hit the south-east over the weekend.

"While this system will bring more cold and snowy conditions, it will not be as windy," the bureau added.

Snow falling in lower areas in three states

Snowfall is also predicted to fall in suburbs as low as 600 metres above sea level.

"The coldest air will move over south-eastern regions during Tuesday afternoon and evening, with the snow level falling to as low as 600-800m for NSW, Vic and Tas," the bureau said.

The new and heavy snowfall means the 2022 ski season is off to a flying start.

Heavy snow is falling on Victoria's alpine regions. (9News)

The bureau said there have been reports of between 15 to 20 centimetres of snow at Alpine resorts with more snow and blizzards forecast in the coming days.

Rhylla Morgan from Buller Ski Lifts told Today the fresh snowfall at Victoria's Mt Buller is "absolutely magical".

Australia's ski communities have struggled during the past two years of lockdowns and travel bans, and are hopeful of a resurgent 2022 season.

"There is a lot of excitement here in the community on the mountain," Morgan said.

Mt Buller is already seeing strong bookings. (9News)

"It's going to be a really big season, we hope.

"This is a really nice way to start."

Bookings have been strong ahead of the slopes opening, with reservations already being made through to September.

Heavy snow has also fallen at Perisher in NSW. (Vail Resorts)

Perisher Valley in NSW has seen 20cm of snow since last night, with falls continuing this morning.

More than 70cm is forecast to fall in the coming week, ahead of the ski season opening on June 11.

Thousands without power, trees downed

Thousands of people were left without power earlier today and trees were blown down after heavy storms ripped through New South Wales and southern Queensland overnight.

About 5500 people on the Gold Coast and Hinterlands in Queensland were cut off from the grid this morning, while strong winds of over 60km/hr have been recorded.

Arriving flights are being delayed, cancelled and amalgamated at Brisbane Airport due to the conditions.

However, no delays for departing flights have yet been reported.

The SES responded to at least 500 calls across NSW, while the storm system left 18,000 homes without electricity - 14,000 of them still without the lights on as of this morning.

The storm, with winds of up to 120km/hr struck everywhere from metropolitan Sydney, north to Newcastle and even Armidale, as well as Queensland's Darling Downs.

Trees were brought down in gale-force winds. (9News)

A tree fell on a parked Mercedes in Sydney's Double Bay overnight, which left residents shocked.

"It sounded like a tornado, you saw the storm coming in and it literally ripped through the gardens in three minutes maximum," a resident told 9News.

"You heard this huge crack. Yeah, it was pretty terrifying."

Towns cut off by floodwaters for second time this year

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https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMinQFodHRwczovL3d3dy45bmV3cy5jb20uYXUvbmF0aW9uYWwvYXVzdHJhbGlhLXdlYXRoZXItdXBkYXRlcy1zdG9ybS1sYXNoZXMtbnN3LWhvbWVzLXdpdGhvdXQtcG93ZXItc2V2ZXJlLXdlYXRoZXItd2FybmluZ3MvMDhhOGRhMjktYjIzYi00NTJjLThhMmEtYjA5OGY0YmZiNTcx0gEA?oc=5

2022-05-31 03:30:45Z
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