A blanket of snow has cut off towns in the Blue Mountains from reaching Sydney as Australia's east coast is battered by wild winds, torrential rain and huge waves.
About five centimetres of snow settled on Katoomba, Blackheath and surrounding areas, as temperatures dipped to -8C on Tuesday morning.
The ice and snow forced the closure of the Great Western Highway in both directions at Katoomba, as well as at Mount Victoria and Blackheath following incidents involving trucks.
Snow was also recorded in the Central Tablelands, including Oberon and Lithgow, as well as Armidale in the state's north.
The low pressure system in NSW has driven the cold front up north, bringing flurries to Queensland for the first time in four years.
The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe weather warning for residents across New South Wales including metropolitan, the South Coast and parts of the Mid North Coast, Illawarra, Central Tablelands and Southern Tablelands.
Residents in the Blue Mountains woke up to a fresh blanket of snow on Tuesday morning
Images shared on social media show snow falling in in Lithgow before sunrise
About five centimetres of snow settled on Katoomba, Blackheath and surrounding areas, as temperatures dipped to -8C on Tuesday morning. Pictured: Katoomba train station
The region is expected to be hit with locally destructive winds, averaging 60 to 70 km/h, with reports of 130 km/h wind gusts in Ulladulla this morning.
The wild weather is due to an intense low and associated cold front coming from the Tasman Sea.
Strong winds will move through the Sydney region around sunrise and extend to north area by this afternoon.
The city's eastern suburbs are expected to see the strongest winds, while Sydney's west will experience lighter gusts.
Meteorologists have also warned of dangerous surf conditions - particularly at south facing beaches - with reports of significant wave heights in excess of five metres.
SES has issued road weather alerts warning commuters of dangers driving conditions this morning.
Assistant Commissioner Michael Corboy said roads will be slippery and visibility poor, and stressed the need to go slow and follow directions.
'It's not just your life at risk - it's the
