The beast in the east: Australia to be smashed with snow, hail, fierce winds and driving rain as winter kicks in – so what will the weather be like for you?
- Australia’s south-east will be hit with extreme cold weather, wind and snow
- Victoria, Tasmania and parts of NSW will see snowfall as well as gusty winds
- Canberra, Victoria and Tasmania are in for a wet weekend but Sydney will be dry
- Severe weather warning for damaging winds has also been put in place for WA
Australians can expect to shiver through the weekend as the country is battered by extreme cold weather, snow and severe winds.
A cold front is set to sweep across south-eastern parts of the country throughout the week with Tasmania, Victoria and parts of NSW to suffer the most.
Strong wind warnings have also been set across South Australia, Tasmania, Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
Meteorologist Graeme Brittain told Daily Mail Australia the wild weather will last over the whole weekend.
Australia’s south-east is set to be hit with extreme cold weather bringing snowfall to ski resorts in Victoria, Tasmania and NSW (pictured skier in Mount Buller, VIC)
Strong wind warnings have also been set across South Australia, Tasmania, Western Australia and the Northern Territory (the blue areas shown the map indicate where will have the coldest weather)
Snow is expected to fall in parts of NSW as the cold front sweeps through (pictured: snow in NSW on Wednesday)
‘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 New South Wales from Friday across the whole weekend,’ he said.
‘Over this period winds will be quite gusty especially in coastal and elevated parts.’
Mr Brittain said Australia would also see some heavy snowfall over the weekend.
‘Snowfall will mainly be in the Alps in Tasmania, Victoria and New South Wales. The resorts there could pick up some decent snow over the weekend,’ he said.
‘Generally strong and gusty cold winds will be a feature from Thursday through to Monday. It’s not a great weekend to be outdoors.’
Heavy rainfall of around 22mm and possible hail is also expected to hit central Victoria and Canberra.
Clouds are seen looming over Sydney Harbour Bridge on Wednesday as the city prepares for a bout of cold weather
A cold front is set to sweep across south-eastern parts of the country throughout the week with Tasmania, Victoria and parts of NSW to suffer the most (pictured: a car veering off a road in Perisher, NSW)
NSW will see a cold and windy weekend due to a cold front coming in from Tasmania
Sydney was covered in thick cloud on Wednesday morning as temperatures drop
Tasmania is also in for a wet weekend but Sydney will be spared the rain and will instead see sunshine.
On the other side of the country a severe weather warning has been put in place for south-west areas in Western Australia.
Fierce winds of up to 100km/h are expected to sweep through the areas on Wednesday with the potential to damage homes.
Thunderstorms and huge swells are also expected in the areas Albany, Bunbury, Busselton, Mandurah, Manjimup, Margaret River and Mount Barker.
A warning has also been set for farmers as cold temperatures and winds could put lambs and sheep at risk.
Heavy rainfall is also expected to hit Victoria and Tasmania (pictured: rainy day in Melbourne)