The low that brought some rain to parts of drought-ravaged NSW and Qld last weekend is now generating large surf and is partly responsible for the bitterly cold nights across the southeast.

As the low cruised along the NSW and Qld border last weekend, it brought some very welcome rain to a lot of areas in severe drought. During Monday, the low moved off the NSW coast and the rains ceased, however its job was not over.

The low deepened considerably once its moved over the Tasman Sea and gained a fuel source of moist air. Powerful winds began generating large surf, and currently waves in excess of six feet are pounding the NSW coast, even bigger along the south coast. A hazardous surf warning is current for the entire NSW coast.

The clockwise rotation around the low resulted in a polar airmass being dragged north over southeastern parts of the country. Coupled with a high pressure ridge clearing the skies and keeping winds generally light, some very cold temperatures were recorded on Wednesday morning.

Protected from the winds, western Tasmania was very frosty on Wednesday. Strahan dipped to -2.5 degrees, its coldest night in 35 years. Low Rocky Point had it coldest night in five years, lowering to just under one degree.

Melbourne woke to its coldest August morning in 21 years on Wednesday, dipping to 0.8 degrees just after 7am. Early morning passengers felt the freeze at Melbourne Airport, with -2 degrees recorded at 6:30am, the coldest minimum in 32 years.

Just north of the border, Perisher recorded an eight-year low temperature for the whole of Australia on Wednesday, lowering to an extremely frosty -14.2 degrees. Parts of Sydney also had their coldest August night in 3-6 years.

More cold minimum temperatures are likely tonight and into Thursday morning as the low and high combine. By Friday, warm winds ahead of a front will end the bitterly cold minimum temperatures.