Australia's cold snap expected to linger

Some NSW regional temperatures dipped below zero while others hovered just above freezing.

Lismore recorded 3.7C, Kempsey 1.3C, Port Macquarie 3.9C, Taree 4.9C, Bellambi 7.8C, Bega 0.8C, Bathurst 0.1C, Orange 0.7C, Gunnedah 1.6C, Forbes -1.9C, Albury -2.2C and Wagga -1.3C.

In Victoria it was even colder. Bendigo experienced a low of -3.9C, Shepparton and Ballarat -3.6C and Warrnambool recorded -1.4C.

It was minus 4 degrees at 4.30am at Canberra airport.

The Bureau of Meteorology issued a fog warning to Canberra drivers.

In the Snowy Mountains, Perisher Valley recorded a low of minus 8 degrees at 12.30am with an apparent temperature of minus 11.

Bureau spokesperson Morgan Pumpa said the cold temperatures were generated by a low pressure system in the Tasman Sea whipping freezing southerly winds into south-eastern Australia. That combined with a high pressure system over much of the country's east.

The frigid mix had been creating unusually cold conditions since the weekend and was set to ease with clouds expected for the winter solstice on Friday, June 21.

But by June 22, another cold front was predicted to again deliver widespread icy conditions to the country's east.

Ms Pumpa said "looking at the weekend we again have some large areas [with a] chance of frost, it is not just Tasmania, many parts of Victoria and parts of NSW."

"Usually the coldest mornings are July and August but at the moment we are seeing very cold temperatures in June."