A series of cold fronts will cause a spell of wintry weather in southeastern Australia during the final week of May.

Three or four cold fronts will pass over the nation's southeastern states between this Friday and Wednesday next week.

Image: ECMWF-HRES model predicting cold air moving over southeastern Australia on Wednesday May 29th.

The procession of fronts will bring showers and blustery winds to parts of South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and southern NSW. The air will be cold enough for snow to fall in the in the alps from Sunday into at least the first half of next week.

Exposed areas in western Tasmania could see over 100mm of rain during the next week, while parts of southern Victoria and the mainland alps could see more than 30-50mm by next Wednesday.

Image: Predicted accumulated rain between now and the end of Wednesday May 29th, according to ECMWF-HRES model.

The strongest in this series of cold fronts will pass over southeastern Australia on Monday and Tuesday next week. It's difficult to tell how strong it will be at this stage, although some computer models indicate that the front may reach as far north as central Queensland.

While this stronger front has the potential to cause snow along the Great Dividing Range in eastern Australia, it's simply too early to know with any certainty. More accurate information will become available over the next several days.

Some parts of the world use the solstices and equinoxes to mark the beginning and end of each season, while winter in Australia officially starts at the beginning of June. However, it may seem like the season has arrived a few days early in some parts of the country this year.