Snow falls in Canberra overnight

The conditions also led to traffic chaos on the nearby Hume Highway, with heavy traffic in both directions between Goulburn and Sutton Forest due to the snow.

Traffic in northbound lanes was queued for up to 18 kilometres, with widespread delays reported.

Snow falls were seen earlier on Tuesday morning on Mount Ainslie and Mount Majura, with several centimetres of powder seen on the top of the mountains.

There were also reports of snow in parts of Gungahlin and Tuggeranong, as well as Bungendore and Carwoola.

Falls were even spotted closer to the centre of Canberra, with federal Health Minister Greg Hunt posting photos of snow flurries near Parliament House.

Between five and 10 centimetres of snow fell at Corin Forest on Tuesday.

The resort's general manager Matt Janney said it was unusual that there was a large amount of snow falling in the area so late in the season.

"At this time of year, snow falls are a bonus," he said.

"It gives us some breathing room heading into the school holidays."

Mr Janney said the large falls seen at Corin Forest started just after midnight on Tuesday, and is expected to make this year's snow season the biggest one since the resort opened.

Large crowds were seen around Corin Forest, making the most of the snowy conditions.

"Today was a lot busier than what it is normally at this time of year," Mr Janney said.

Among those taking in the snow was Red Hill resident Sara Lauer, who was there with her two-year-old son Bruce, who was experiencing snow for the first time.

"We haven't had a chance to see the snow this year, so we thought we would do a trip up to see it," she said.

Large patches of snow were also seen near Lake George and along the Federal Highway.

Adrienne Carpenter, who was walking from Collector to Parliament House in support of press freedom with her dog Phoebe, was camping near Lake George when the snow started falling.

"It started falling really heavily at midnight," Ms Carpenter said.

"It left a really big dusting."

Parts of Goulburn also experienced widespread snow on Tuesday, with several centimetres recorded.

The Bureau of Meteorology Monday has predicted snow to fall from 1000 metres, but falls have been more widespread than earlier predictions.

Meteorologist at the bureau, Bimal KC, said snow levels dropped to as low as 500 metres.

"Parts of Canberra got up to 10 centimetres of snow," he said.

"Cold air in the upper atmosphere brought snow levels down."

Mr KC said while the snow was late in the year, falls in September weren't rare.

"It's just the cold air mixed with the precipitation, and there was really cold air behind the front that brought the cold conditions to Canberra," he said.

The sudden blast of winter across the ACT comes as Canberra received more than 31 millimetres since 9am on Monday.

Traffic authorities have warned drivers to allow extra time for travel on the Hume Highway, with long delays seen for several hours due to the hazardous conditions.

The bureau has said snow is expected to fall in southern and western parts of the ACT until late on Tuesday morning.

Showers are expected on Tuesday with a top of 12 degrees.

Winds of up to 30km/h are forecast for later in the day, before easing in the evening.

Seen snow at your place? Send your snow photos to [email protected]