Winter bomb hits Australia: Cold front to bring strong winds and showers across west coast as Sydney and Melbourne shiver through lows of 5C
- Cold blast to hit Australia's south-east with rain, snow and freezing temperatures
- Cold front in the west will make its way to other wide of country in coming days
- Victoria and south-eastern NSW will cop the biggest brunt of wild weather
- Good falls forecast for ski fields in time for start of ski season, starting next week
Australians will need to keep rugged up indoors for the next few days as a winter blast of chilly weather brings strong winds, rain, snow and freezing temperatures.
A cold front battering Western Australia will sweep across the south-eastern parts of the country in the coming days with Victoria and parts of New South Wales to feel the brunt as temperatures plummet.
Both states will suffer heavy rainfall over the weekend, experts said, with temperatures up to 5C below average.
The chilly conditions will also bring good snow fall in time for the highly anticipated start of the delayed ski season, which starts next week.
South Australia will be the next to cop the cold front on Friday, with widespread showers and gusty winds as it makes its way to the east.
Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Dean Narramore said Mount Hotham in the Victorian Alps can expect heavy rain this weekend (pictured is Hotham Alpine Resort on June 1)
A cold front (pictured) will bring freezing temperatures and widespread rain to Australia's south-east
'The cold front will develop into a low pressure system as it moves across the Great Australian Bight and into south-eastern Australia, bringing widespread rain,' Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Dean Narramore told Daily Mail Australia.
'Temperatures will be around 2-5C below average. The rain will be statewide across Victoria and in south-eastern NSW.'
Weatherzone meteorologist Graeme Brittain added: 'A frontal system associated with a cold front is lined up for the south-east this weekend, affecting all of South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania and NSW from Friday across the whole weekend.'
'Over this period winds will be quite gusty especially in coastal and elevated parts.'
The Victorian and NSW snowfields can expect a 1400m drop on Saturday before 1000m on Sunday.
'It's welcome snow for the start of ski season,' Mr Narramore said.
The cold front will bring strong winds, rain, snow and freezing temperatures across Victoria and south-east NSW (pictured, Mount Buller in Victoria on June 2)
A cold front coming from the west will bring snow to parts of Victoria and NSW this weekend (pictured, a snowman at Cradle Mountain, Tasmania this week)
The NSW Central Tablelands could also see snow in the coming days.
Melburnians woke up to a chilly 5C on Thursday morning with temperatures expected to reach a top of 16C.
The city will reach 17C before a late shower launches a wet weekend for Melbourne with 5-8 mm of rain forecast for Saturday.
Temperatures will plummet to a low of 7C and only reach a high of 13C on Sunday.
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In Tasmania, stunning photos have emerged of Cradle Mountain blanketed in snow, which will continue to fall this weekend.
But Mr Narramore said Tasmania will avoid the full brunt of the approaching cold front.
Victorians need to keep their umbrellas handy this weekend with widespread rain forecast across the state (pictured is Melbourne motorists bracing heavy rain on May 21)
Cradle Mountain in Tasmania (pictured on June 16) has had heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures
In Sydney, the sun is forecast to stick around for a few days before reaching a top of 20C on Saturday with showers forecast for Sunday.
It will be an icy weekend in the nation's capital, with Canberra enduring 0C temperatures on Friday morning.
Up to 25mm of rain is forecast on Saturday, with temperatures only reaching a top of 11C on Sunday.
Similar conditions are forecast further south in the Snowy Mountains.
'A cold front will enter far western New South Wales late Friday or early Saturday, continuing across the rest of the state during the weekend, bringing showers to many areas,' the Bureau of Meteorology states on its website.
'A low pressure system associated with the front is expected to deepen over the Tasman Sea early in the new week, as the next high approaches the state from the west.'
On the other side of the country, a severe weather warning remains in place for Western Australia's south-west on Thursday.
It will remain cool in Perth before warming up to a high of 22 on Sunday.
Elsewhere across the country, showers will ease in Adelaide over the weekend, Brisbane may see some light showers in the coming days while in the Top End, Darwin will remain fine and sunny with 30-plus temperatures.
The Perisher ski fields in NSW (pictured this week) will see good falls of snow in time for the start of the ski season from June 24
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