Snow is already falling in parts of Victoria and NSW as a wicked cold snap brings mid-winter temperatures across parts of south-eastern Australia.

Forecaster Weatherzone said a strong cold front was dragging a polar air mass across Tasmania, Victoria, NSW and even into Queensland – bringing the coldest weekend in three years for some parts.

“Melbourne is forecast to reach 13 degrees on both Saturday and Sunday, although the city may stay closer to 12 degrees on Saturday,” Weatherzone said.

“If both days stay at or below 13 degrees, this will be Melbourne’s coldest weekend since August 2021 and its coldest May weekend in 23 years.”

There was fresh snow in NSW’s Snowy Mountains and the Victorian Alps on Friday morning, as the cold front closed in.

It is expected to deliver a mix of rain, hail, snow, blustery winds and thunderstorms. And it won’t just be Melbourne that shivers – day-time maximums are expected to be 5-8 degrees below the May average across much of south-eastern Australia.

Snow is expected below 600 metres in Tasmania and 800 metres in Victoria on Sunday.

Up to 30-40 centimetres of snow is possible for some high country areas. The NSW ski resort of Perisher got a dusting of snow on Thursday, ahead of the main front.

“We could get used to this. Bring it on, winter,” it wrote on its Facebook page.

There has also been early snow in Victoria, with Mount Buller getting an early dusting this week.

“Starting to feel like winter this morning,” Mount Buller’s Instagram page read.

“Moderate to heavy falls [of rain are] possible in eastern Victoria and south-east NSW from Saturday night into Sunday,” Weatherzone said.

“This area of heavier rain will be caused by a developing low pressure system that also has the potential to locally produce damaging winds.”

Jenny Sturrock, from the Bureau of Meteorology, said the front would bring rain to Victoria, Adelaide and Tasmania on Friday. The system will then spread into NSW and north as far as south-eastern Queensland.

Widespread frost is expected across NSW, Victoria, Tasmania and SA.

Hobart is also expected to shiver over the weekend, with maximums of 13 and 12 degrees forecast for Saturday and Sunday, respectively. It will be slightly warmer in Adelaide, with tops of 15 and 16 expected.

Sydney is expecting a sunny maximum of 22 on Saturday, and 18 on Sunday.

Brisbane will bask in the warmth of the mid-20s, but the outlook for early next week is cooler. Perth will ride out the worst of the chill hitting the nation’s east, expecting a top of 20 on Saturday and 24 on Sunday.