Melbourne is in line for a sharp taste of winter, with a burst of polar air set to sweep across Victoria from Wednesday afternoon and bring snow down to about 600 metres on Thursday.
The Bureau of Meteorology says the cold snap will also deliver showers, small hail, icy winds and a marked drop in temperatures across the city and surrounding high country.
What Melbourne can expect
The system is expected to move through quickly, but it will pack plenty into a short window. For Melbourne, Thursday is shaping up as the coldest day so far this year, with a maximum of 14°C and a minimum of 7°C, while wind chill could make it feel even colder.
The BoM says small hail is possible around the Melbourne area, especially as the colder air pushes through overnight and into Thursday.
While Melbourne itself is unlikely to see settled snow, flakes could fall in higher spots around the city, including elevated areas north and east of town.
Where can I see the snow across Victoria?
Weather reports suggest Mount Macedon is often one of the better local spots for light snow flurries during systems like this, while Lake Mountain and Mount Baw Baw remain the closest snow resorts to Melbourne. Forecasts show snow levels dropping low enough for some higher-elevation areas outside the alpine region to briefly see wintry falls.
Otherwise, Mount Donna Buang, about two hours from Melbourne’s CBD near Warburton, offers a popular free snow-play spot that’s ideal for tobogganing during a cold snap. Less than three hours from the city, Mount Buller serves as Victoria’s main winter playground, with the state’s largest ski lift network and terrain for all skill levels. Closer still, Mount Dandenong on Melbourne’s eastern fringe occasionally picks up light, short-lived snow during sharp winter bursts.
How big is the snow event?
While forecasters are not expecting a blockbuster dump, they do expect enough snow to make it feel properly wintry. BoM senior forecaster Jonathan How said ski resorts could pick up around 5 to 10 centimetres, with more significant falls limited to the highest ground.
Forecasts indicate that up to 20 centimetres could fall at mainland alpine resorts and higher parts of Tasmania, while much lighter snow falls in areas below the mountains.
The cold air mass moves into the Tasman Sea by Thursday morning, and conditions gradually ease later in the week. BoM says temperatures will begin to recover from Friday, before a more settled and milder weekend arrives.
For now, though, south-western winds and a wintry feel will dominate much of southern Victoria, making Thursday a day to rug up rather than shrug off.