Cold temps will herald the beginning of winter as a ‘polar surge’ affects large parts of the country this weekend, bringing damaging winds and heavy rain in some areas.

The big chill will march across the south and south-eastern parts of Australia, eventually reaching as high as Queensland – bringing icy temperatures, and snow as low as 1,000m above sea level.

Sydney had a preview of the chilly forecast with a thick morning fog on Friday, which disrupted ferry services – but largely dissipated as the day wore on.

The fog stretched out across the CBD, Hawkesbury, Hills District and south-western suburbs, cloaking Sydney‘s famous landmarks in its wake. 

The Sunshine State’s capital Brisbane (pictured) should expect a sunny weekend, with a high of 25C

Rain is set to drench much of south-east Australia (pictured), bringing icy temperatures across Victoria

Australia’s biggest city will hit a pleasant 21C on Friday, with partly cloudy conditions to continue, and just a five per cent chance of rain.

Sydney will be partly cloudy for the weekend, with some showers on Saturday and Monday. 

The partly cloudy weather in Hobart is expected to continue into Saturday with a high temp of 15C, with Sunday bringing some possible showers – and Monday a frosty low temp of 4C. 

Melbourne could get early showers, with a 40 per cent chance of rain on Friday and a maximum of 16C. 

Brisbane should expect temps to reach 24C, with 50 per cent possibility of rain in the late morning or afternoon. 

Perth is set for a mostly cloudy weekend with the sun showing itself in patches on Saturday as the city sees a high of 24C and low of 6C. 

Partly cloudy conditions and a weekend low of 8C will cause Melburnians to rug up. Sydney is set for some partly cloudy conditions and showers – but the temperature will reach a pleasant 21C on Saturday

Adelaide will have showers most of the weekend, with a minimum temp of 9C degrees and a warmer high of 19C on Sunday. 

Victoria’s capital will see partly cloudy conditions over Saturday and Sunday, and showers on Monday. A maximum temperature of 16C will be reached on Saturday and 15C on Sunday.

Canberra will see some showers, with a frigid minimum of 2C on Sunday and a maximum of 14C. 

The Sunshine State’s capital of Brisbane will enjoy sunny days over the weekend, with Monday promising partly cloudy conditions. A relatively warm 25C will see Queenslanders outdoors on Saturday after an extended period of rainfall in recent weeks.

Perth will enjoy a mostly sunny weekend while Darwin will be warm with virtually no chance of rain. 

The Sydney Harbour Bridge was completely shrouded in fog on Friday morning – with some ferry services cancelled