Overview

• South Australia is already experiencing powerful winds, with peak gusts near 130 km/h reported around Adelaide and warnings to gradually ease from the west later Friday.
• The Bureau of Meteorology has issued severe weather warnings for destructive gusts across parts of South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales through Friday into early Saturday, alongside gale alerts for coastal waters.
• Snow levels are forecast to drop to about 600 metres in Victoria, 700 metres in New South Wales and 300 metres in Tasmania, bringing flakes within roughly 35 kilometres of Canberra, Hobart, Melbourne, Sydney and possibly Adelaide.
• Alpine regions face blizzard conditions above roughly 1,200 metres as gales combine with heavy snow, raising risks of whiteouts, downed trees, property damage and power outages.
• Most snow is expected to clear by mid-morning Saturday with winds easing through the weekend, though wind chill will make temperatures feel far colder than forecast highs.