UPDATE Thursday 8am: Wintry weather has hit central Victoria, with rain overnight and chilly daytime temperatures forecast.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Bendigo received 5.2 millimetres overnight, while Redesdale recorded rain of 5.6 millmetres.
A top temperature of just 13 degrees is forecast for both Bendigo and Redesdale; elsewhere, Echuca is expected to reach 14 degrees, Maryborough 12, Castlemaine 11, and Kyneton 9.
The day will bring more showers, with hail and thunder possible.
Mount Macedon is likely to see snow.
The showers will continue on Friday, but are expected to clear in the evening.
EARLIER: Gale force winds and heavy rain are set to hit Bendigo and Central Victoria on Friday as a low front moves across the state
Temperatures will also plummet, with Bendigo, Castlemaine and Central Victoria struggling to reach the early-teens as cold air moves in on Thursday.
Snow is forecast to fall down to 800m as a series of slow-moving fronts from the Bass Strait bring rain, hail, wind and thunderstorms.
Dustings of snow are expected from Thursday in the Macedon Ranges, the ranges around Ballarat and the Grampians.
Richard Carlyon, senior meteorologist from the BOM, said severe weather warnings for heavy rain and damaging winds were likely as the front hits Central Victoria early Friday morning before moving through into Gippsland by the weekend.
“On Thursday, we’ll have a cold front go through early in the day that will give us cooler southwesterly winds. But as a low develops near Tasmania that will really send cold air our way,” Mr Carlyon said.
“We’ll see temperatures well below average.”
Bendigo is predicted to have a top of 13C on Thursday and 12C on Friday, with Castlemaine having a predicted top of 11C on both days as the storm fronts hit. The weather is not expected to clear until Sunday.
Mr Carlyon said the first cold front on Thursday will not bring much wind but that will change with the development of a slow moving, powerful system near Tasmania on Friday, which will bring with it a strong band of wind.
“This is like to affect Central Victoria first on Friday before moving into the Gipplsand area Saturday and Sunday,” he said.
“Strong to gale force winds are expected through that central part of the state. We’re likely to have severe weather warnings out for heavy rain and damaging winds. That warning is likely continue further eastwards into the weekend.”
The abrupt end to an unseasonably warm autumn will bring between 5mm and 20mm of rain to Central Victoria by the end of the weekend. The heaviest falls are likely to be in parts of southern and mountain areas of eastern Victoria, with more than 150mm predicted in some areas by the BOM.
Mr Carlyon said that this was the biggest system that had been seen so far this year and was unpredictable.
“Because the low will be slow moving and quite powerful we’ll have to keep tabs on exactly where it is moving in that period between Friday and Sunday,” he said.
On Wednesday morning the BOM warned sheep graziers that cold temperatures, showers, isolated thunderstorms, small hail and westerly winds were expected during Thursday. All districts are likely to be affected and there is a risk of losses of lambs and sheep exposed to these conditions.
