Residents in some of Australia's biggest cities woke to freezing conditions on Monday as clear skies and light winds courtesy of a cold front sent temperatures plummeting.

Camden, on Sydney's south-western outskirts, dipped to a frosty low of -2.9 degrees, but the temperature actually felt like -5.1 degrees thanks to the wind chill factor.

The temperature in nearby Badgerys Creek plunged to -1.8 degrees, which felt more like -4.7 degrees.

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A combination of clear skies and light winds from a recent cold front sent temperatures plummeting in Sydney and Canberra on Monday morning. Pictured, a synoptic chart of Australia from 7am on Monday

Residents in some of Australia's biggest cities woke to an extra cool morning on Monday, with Canberra recording its coldest morning of the year (stock image)

In Sydney's centre, the mercury hit a low of 5.4 degrees, which felt like 0.9 degrees, making it one of the city's coldest mornings this year.

Meanwhile, Canberra woke to its coldest morning of the year on Monday.

An icy low of -7.4 degrees was recorded at the city's airport, just eclipsing the 7.3 degrees residents were forced to endure on the Monday a week prior.

Melbourne was not as cold, with temperatures in the city dropping to 8.4 degrees,

'The reason why we can have these really cold minimum temperatures come down to three factors,' Gabrielle Woodhouse, forecaster at the Bureau of Meteorology, told Daily Mail Australia.

'The first is clear skies, the second is light winds and a cold air mass.

Sydney residents had to rug up as temperatures in several parts of the city dropped to below zero on Monday (stock image)

Residents can expect temperatures to improve slightly in coming days, thanks to increased cloud cover (stock images)

'The third one is usually what we have once the cold front moves through, we have that cold air.

'Over the weekend we did see quite cold mornings.'

Sydney and Canberra residents can expect slightly warmer mornings in the coming days, with Ms Woodhouse saying increased cloud cover will act as a blanket.

Sydney will reach a low of 10 degrees on Tuesday and Canberra will narrowly escape the freezing conditions, with a low of zero expected.

But temperatures will drop again later in the week, although they will not be as cool as Monday, Ms Woodhouse said.

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe weather warning for damaging winds across parts of Victoria. Pictured, a fisherman prepares as a large wave crashes over Mornington Pier in Melbourne on Monday

Wind gusts of 106km/h were recorded in parts of Victoria on Monday morning. Pictured, waves crashing over Mornington Pier on Monday

The Bureau of Meteorology has also issued a severe weather warning for the New South Wales Snowy Mountains.

'Damaging winds, averaging 80 to 90 km/h are likely above 1900 metres in the Alpine area on Monday evening,' the Bureau said.

There is also a warning in place for damaging winds across the Central, South West, North Central and parts of East Gippsland, North East, West and South Gippsland and Wimmera Forecast Districts, in Victoria.

'Locations which may be affected include Warrnambool, Ballarat, Geelong, Melbourne, Wonthaggi, Bacchus Marsh and the Alpine resorts,' the Bureau said.

'The highest wind gusts (Monday) has been 106km/h at Mount William and 96km/h at Melbourne Airport.'