Melbourne has shivered through its coldest March day since 2015 as fire threats throughout the state eased.
From top temperatures in the high-20s on Friday, a cool change swept through the city later that night, paving the way for Saturday's cold snap.
Melbourne reached a top of 15.6C at 3.41pm, narrowly avoiding the city's coldest March day in 41 years at 15.3C.
It was still a long way off the coldest March day ever in Melbourne, which came in 1931 when the Victorian capital hit at a high of 12C.
Snow even fell at Mount Hotham and Falls Creek, with temperatures dipping to minus 4C in parts of the state's Alpine region.
The drop in temperature came as welcome relief for residents and firefighting crews near Ballarat.
Buildings and vehicles were destroyed on Friday as firefighters battled out-of-control fires at Mount Mercer and Bunkers Hill.
The fires have been brought under control but advice messages are still in place for those areas.
But emergency services authorities have warned the fire danger period is not over, with temperatures expected to rise back into the mid-to-high 20s later next week.
