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© ONE NewsWaves spill onto roads in Tasmania
Tasmanians are going through one of their coldest days in years as snow, wind and surf lashes the state.

Thousands of homes have been left without electricity as a low pressure system moves across the area. Crews are working to restore power to about 4,000 homes but it is not known how long it will take, according to ABC weather zone.

Winds have exceeded prediction of 120 kilometres an hour in higher regions, said the Australian Bureau of Meteorology.

The temperature at Mount Wellington was minus 4.2 degrees Celsius this morning, with snow forcing the area's main road to close.

Some visitors to Cradle Mountain, in the state's north, are also trapped by snow.

The extreme weather conditions has also generated giant waves off the state's west coast.

The Weather Channel recorded a 18.4-metre wave off Cape Sorrell this morning that could be a Tasmanian and Australian record.

Data shows waves with a height of 17 metres have been recorded three times since 1998, said Ian Barnes-Koeghan from Bureau of Meteorology.

Meanwhile, a big storm forecast for New Zealand has begun to hit South Island's West Coast.

The full force of the storm will bring gale winds, heavy rain and bitterly cold temperatures over the next 48 hours.