As Melburnians brace for the coldest March day in four years, some regional Victorians are being told to enact their bushfire plans with a total fire ban issued.
The city's is expected to have a cracking day with a top of 29C before it drops to almost half during the evening, ahead of Saturday's cooler forecast, the weather bureau warns.
"A cold snap on the way for the weekend, with a big strong cold front to come through on Friday. That will drop temperatures significantly into the weekend," senior forecaster Rod Dickson said.
"In fact, 15C in Melbourne will be the coldest March day since 2015 (on Saturday)."
Some isolated thunderstorms and rain across parts of Melbourne are expected from Friday night into the weekend, with alpine resorts expected to get a dusting of snow too.
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There's a potential for severe thunderstorms across northeast Victoria on Friday with showers, thunderstorms, damaging winds, large hail and up 60mm of rainfall possible.
It's a stark contrast to the total fire ban the Country Fire Authority has declared for the Mallee and northern country in regional Victoria on Friday.
"CFA advises people living in areas at risk of fire to activate their bush fire plan," it states.
Mildura is expected to hit a top of 30C on Friday before a cooler 20C on Saturday.
