The big chill in southern Queensland has delivered what could be the state’s most significant snowfall in 30 years, while NSW suffers traffic chaos.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) said up to eight centimetres has been recorded by locals around Eukey and Stanthorpe on the Granite Belt.

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Snow from Mt Marley in Stanthorpe, Queensland.

White powder blanketed Stanthorpe, Applethorpe and Eukey between 1am and 4am, sending residents scurrying outside in pyjamas to see the falls of up to 8cm.

Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Adam Blazak said the wintry conditions were pleasantly surprising, given snow was infrequent in Queensland.

“Usually we get these cold blasts come through but there’s no precipitation,” he told AAP.

Snow also closed the Hume Highway, the major road connecting Sydney and Melbourne, as well as other roads in NSW.

The southbound lanes of the Hume Highway were closed near Bowral at 4am on Friday, in the NSW southern highlands region, while one lane of the northbound side is also shut.

Traffic is reportedly backed up for 20km, the NSW transport department said.

Both the Great Western Highway and Bells Line of Road were closed, leaving no way for motorists to travel between Sydney and Lithgow.

Authorities have advised motorists in the south and west of NSW to delay all non-essential travel, with the Hume Highway closed at Berrima, while the New England Highway in the northeast is closed between Glenn Innes and Armidale.

Snow hit Ballendean in Queensland at record levels. Photo: ABC News

The Bureau of Meteorology says snow falls in Bowral, Mittagong and Katoomba in the Blue Mountains are expected to stop by the end of the day.

“The system that’s causing it, the low that’s sitting off the Illawarra coast, will move east. By tonight there will be no further snow falls outside of the ranges.”

The spokesman said there was no snow predicted for the rest of the week in NSW.

Cold air squeezed through a high pressure system from the Great Australian Bight, causing the snowfall in the two states.

Locals and tourists were determined not to miss the rare event.

Families braved the freezing cold to make snowmen at 2:00am.

Candice Sires travelled from Dalby to get a glimpse.

“We haven’t slept yet and wow,” she said.

Stanthorpe resident Margaret Osborne said she has not seen anything like it since the “great snow fall” of 1984.