Record-breaking cold temperature expected to hit Australia

Australians are bracing for a sudden snap of freezing weather which is expected to result in record-breaking cold temperatures for most parts of the country.

However ski resorts, which have been suffering from one of the worst ski seasons on record, will welcome the news that some major mountains are expecting up to 50 centimeters of fresh powder over the weekend.

Suburban areas are expected to receive flurries as well, with the Bureau of Meteorology and weather website Weatherzone predicting snowfall as low as 600 meters, a topographic height which includes the Blue Mountains region of Sydney as well as some of Melbourne's eastern suburbs.

"Snow should fall almost right along the Victorian and NSW ( mountain) ranges, falling as low as 600 meters, most likely in southernmost parts," Weatherzone said on Thursday.

Temperatures across South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales, the ACT, Queensland and the Northern Territory are expected to crash well below the winter average, and Weatherzone said the cold snap would bring Antarctic-like winds to southern parts, notably Melbourne, Hobart, Adelaide and Sydney.

Some regions are likely to experience their coldest temperatures since 2009.

"Shower will at times and in some places contain small hail stones and, combining with the bitterly cold and strong winds, will add to an already exceptional chill, making the actual temperature feel as much as five degrees colder," the website read.

Australia's capital city Canberra is expected to freeze through its coldest week in more than six years, while other major metropolitan cities will likely dip below freezing, a rare occurrence during the Australian winter. Endi