It’s raining, it’s pouring and we’re getting our first taste of the winter cold in Melbourne. A powerful low pressure system is bringing damaging winds, heavy rain and large waves to Victoria on Friday, March 27. This chilly burst will also usher in some early-season snow to the mountains. The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a Severe Weather Warning for parts of Victoria as a result, with heavy rain forecast for East Gippsland, and damaging southerly wind gusts expected over parts of the central ranges and the east on Friday morning. Here’s what to expect.
Victoria will be hit with cold weather on Friday, March 27
According to Weatherzone, a cold front crossing the southeast of Australia today will cause a low pressure system to spin up over the Tasman Sea on Friday. A south-westerly wind change as a result of this cold front will cause temperatures to drop today over Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia and the ACT, with rain and thunderstorms spreading across the region. Snow is expected to start falling in Victoria and Tasmania on Thursday.
On Friday, the low pressure system will deepen, and the southerly winds will strengthen. The alpine areas will experience damaging winds on Friday morning, with average gusts of 60 to 70 km/h, and peak gusts of around 100 km/h, according to BOM. There will also be damaging winds over the central ranges and east on Friday morning over around 90km/h. These winds may even reach 100 km/h around the East Gippsland coast. Heavy rainfall is expected around East Gippsland, which may lead to flash flooding.
Up in the mountains, Falls Creek and Mount Hotham are forecast to have a high chance of snow tomorrow. Mount Buller is expecting snow showers tomorrow, and Lake Mountain and Mount Baw Baw are predicting snow above 1300 metres and 1400 metres respectively.
Conditions in Melbourne will also be quite chilly, with temperatures ranging from 11 to 16 degrees. A very high chance of showers is predicted, with a Strong Wind Warning in place for Port Phillip on Friday March 27. Winds ranging from 30 to 45 km/h are expected.
The cold will continue on to Saturday, with a high chance of showers for Melbourne predicted, as well as more southerly winds.
BOM has issued a Gale Warning for the East Gippsland Coast tomorrow, and a Strong Wind Warning for Western Port, Gippsland Lakes, West Coast, Central Coast and Central Gippsland Coast.
Keep an eye on the Bureau of Meteorology for more updates.