A sudden cold snap across south-east Australia will send temperatures plummeting this weekend, with dangerous 100km winds forecast for Victoria and Tasmania.
The Bureau of Meteorology has issued severe weather and flood warnings for both states and, as the cold front moves north, it will bring freezing temperatures to Canberra and a 7C drop in Brisbane and Sydney.
The warning for Tasmania, issued for Thursday afternoon, covers nearly the entire state, including Hobart and Launceston, and predicts 50-100mm of rain and peak gusts of 90-100km. A flood watch warning is in place for the eastern half of the island.
Victoria’s weather warning, issued for Friday, covers most of the state’s south and south-east. Gippsland will bear the brunt – the region could receive up to 150mm of rain by Saturday, and gusts in the Victorian Alps will reach 120km/h.
The head of the Victorian State Emergency Service, Tim Wiebusch, said residents should clean their gutters, secure loose items, move cars away from trees and avoid driving through floodwaters.
“It only takes 15cm of water for a car to float,” he said.
On Friday, temperatures in Canberra will drop to a minimum of 0C and a maximum of 9C, the coldest day in the first half of May since 1970.
By Saturday and Sunday, temperatures in Brisbane will drop to a minimum of 9C – the lowest since 2015 for this time of year.
Sydney will drop from Thursday’s maximum of 25C to a minimum of 9C and a maximum of 17C on Friday, and 12C-20C over the weekend.
The current cold front began on Wednesday night, sweeping through Victoria and causing snow to fall above 800m. Falls Creek, Mount Hotham, Mount Buller and Mount Baw Baw in the Victorian Alps all received snowfall, with heavy falls predicted for Friday.
