Melbourne hasn't even reached 12 degrees so far today, a feat that hasn't happened this late in spring for nearly two decades.

A polar air mass passing over Victoria combined with clouds and showers to suppress the temperature in Melbourne on Friday. As of 6pm, the city's running maximum temperature was only 11.9 degrees. If this temperature isn't surpassed by 9am on Saturday, this will officailly be Melbourne's coldest September day since 2004 and its coldest this late in spring since 2002.

Image: Cloud over Melbourne on Friday afternoon.

The cold front also caused snow to reach low levels in Victoria on Friday, with reports of flakes falling to around 300 metres above sea level in some parts of the state. Some of Victoria's ski resorts also picked up more than 20cm of fresh snow from Friday's pulse of polar air.