A burst of cold weather has brought snow to unusually low levels in Tasmania and Victoria during the last 24 hours and now, both states face the threat of damaging winds.

A low pressure system is driving a mass of cold Antarctic air over southeastern Australia during the first half of this week. This chilly air mass caused snow to reach below 100 metres in parts of Tasmania and below 200m in southern Victoria on Monday night and Tuesday morning.

In Tasmania, flakes were falling near sea level at Port Huon and Dover on Tuesday morning, although the ground was too warm for it to settle. A little higher up, a dusting of snow covered the ground at Geeveston, Rosebery, and Queenstown.

Image: Snow covering the hills and mountains around Queenstown in Tasmania on Tuesday morning. Source: @stitz_ snow / Instagram

Image: The view from Hobart of a snow-capped Mount Wellington on Tuesday morning. Source: @natashamulhallphotography / Instagram

In Victoria, snow was seen falling close to 100m above sea level around Colac and also over low-lying parts of the nearby Otway Ranges. Further north, snow also settled along the Central Highlands on Tuesday morning, including areas in and around Ballarat.

Image: Some Ballarat locals were a bit surprised to see snow on Tuesday. Source: @close.your.eyes_open.your.mind / Instagram

Image: Wintry scenes in Beaufort, VIC on Tuesday morning. Source: @bloodyk8 / Instagram

The frigid air mass will continue to cause widespread snow in Tasmania, Victoria, and southern NSW today and tomorrow, reaching low levels in some areas.

In addition to the snow, parts of both states will also be battered by strong and potentially damaging winds during the next couple of days as the low pressure system deepens to the east of Tasmania. A severe weather warning has been issued in parts of eastern Tasmania and southern Victoria, where gusts could reach 90-100km/h.

Check the latest warnings for the most up-to-date information on the severe weather from this system.