Stefanac said temperatures would also fall to tops of 18 degrees across the Sydney basin, but it would feel even colder due to the wind chill factor.

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Tuesday will be the second day of wintry conditions after a weekend of sunshine.

Earlier on Monday, Sydneysiders woke to a shock as the temperature dropped to a low of 8 degrees, heralding an early start to winter with damaging winds and low temperatures expected to last all week.

The winds are expected to engulf the state and temperature drops are predicted to worsen for most of NSW – including Sydney, Camden, Bathurst and Orange – on Monday evening.

A severe weather warning is also in place for Lord Howe Island, where residents are advised to brace themselves for damaging surf conditions caused by the wind.

Sydney can expect increasingly wet and windy conditions to last all week with the wind moving from west to east.

The central and alpine regions of the state are predicted to drop as low as -2 degrees, while Sydney residents can expect a low of 7 degrees on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

The bureau expects Tuesday and Wednesday to be the coldest days of the week, with temperatures predicted to climb slightly by the weekend.

Due to the stubbornness of La Nina, an emerging negative Indian Ocean Dipole and warmer than average waters, a wetter than average winter is expected for the east coast of Australia.

The bureau has forecast higher than average rainfall from June to August. It might be slightly warmer than usual, with minimum temperatures likely to be above the median for most of the country. Maximum temperatures could also be below average for central Australia from coast to coast.

Bureau meteorologists expect La Nina to finally break down at some point this winter.

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