Damaging winds, showers, hail and snow will sweep across southeastern Australia during the next 24 hours with the passage of a cold front.

A strong front moving through the Great Australian Bight today will pass over South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and southern NSW on Friday night and Saturday morning.

Damaging winds are likely to develop in northern Tasmania and in parts of Victoria and southern NSW from Friday night into Saturday, prompting severe weather warnings in these three states.

A pool of cold and unstable air behind the front will also cause isolated showers and thunderstorms in southern parts of South Australia, Victoria and NSW during Friday night and Saturday. Some of these storms may also produce damaging winds and small hail.

The cold air and blustery winds following the front will also send shivers across southeastern Australia during the weekend.

Goulburn in NSW is forecast to reach tops of 9-10 degrees this weekend. This is a notable change from Thursday’s top of 19.7 degrees, which was its warmest July day in 43 years.

Further south, Melbourne will be feeling a few degrees cooler than its forecast top of 13 degrees on Saturday due to wind chill.

After two unseasonably warm days reaching the mid-twenties in Sydney on Thursday and Friday, maximums will drop back into the teens on weekend.

While the chilly weather may be unwelcome for some, it’s going to bring a good bout of snow to the ski resorts. Some parts of the alps should pick up more than 20cm of fresh snow between Friday afternoon and Sunday morning.