Temperatures in parts of Queensland are forecast to dip well below the average minimum this week as gusty winds blow in from the south.
According to the latest forecast from the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), Tuesday is expected to be the chilliest day of the week, creating frost in some parts.
On Tuesday, Brisbane is expected to reach a low of 7 degrees Celsius, about half the average minimum for this time of year, according to BOM meteorologist, Felim Hanniffy.
"We'll lose the winds on Tuesday, so Tuesday is likely to be the coldest morning when we see some frost," Mr Hanniffy said.
In Ipswich, temperatures could dip to 2 or 3 degrees Celsius – and even further west, in parts of the southern interior, temperatures could dip below 0C.
Daytime maximum temperatures are expected to be in the mid to high teens, but with wind chill, it's going to feel closer to 10C, Mr Hanniffy added.
The cold snap could be felt as far north as Townsville, Mr Hanniffy said, though after Wednesday, temperatures will start returning to normal for this time of year.
Threat to young livestock
On Sunday, BOM issued a special warning for sheep graziers along a southern stretch of the state for Monday, when it says cold temperatures and winds may be hazardous to livestock — especially lambs.
Juanita Breen runs Echo Valley, a farm in Goomburra in the Southern Downs, with about 200 head of cattle and up to 200 pigs — including piglets, some as young as two or three weeks old.
Piglets are susceptible to sudden drops or increases in temperature, Ms Breen said, so even before the livestock warning was issued, they had stocked up on hay.
"The pigs are in the paddocks and each paddock has its own shelter so we're equipping all the shelter with hay to get with some warmth in there during the evenings and early morning," she said.
Three sows are currently on the farm — Blondie, Goldie and Nancy — and each has between six and eight piglets.
"They'll definitely all huddle up and the mothers will definitely lie into the wind they'll create a barrier so the piglets can burrow in," Ms Breen said.
Chilly in Toowoomba
Toowoomba's Queens Park is usually a hive of activity in the mornings, but only a few brave dog walkers were out on Monday as the mercury dropped to 3.3C.
The wind chill dropped the apparent temperate to -3.5c.
Ashleigh Crocker said she was making the day count by taking puppy Freya for a walk.
She moved to Toowoomba from Canada 18 months ago and said the weather was "lovely and fresh".
"We hit -30, -40 in Canada, so we're geared for it," Ms Crocker said.
"This is not the coldest I've been.
"But the houses [in Toowoomba] are not quite ready for the temperatures, so you have to be wise and keep warm."
In the nearby town of Oakey, the mercury dropped to -0.3 degrees, which the BOM said was the coldest in Queensland.
