Australia Weather News

Mount Hotham got plenty of snow two weeks ahead of the official start of the ski season. - ABC

Melbourne has had its coldest day since last September, with heavy rain and flurries in Alpine areas.

The temperature only reached 12.5 degrees Celsius in Melbourne and hovered around freezing on the ski hills.

Many areas around Melbourne had up to 25 millimetres of rain overnight and today while in the Dandenongs, rainfall totals were close to 40mm.

At Mount Buller, the temperature hovered around zero all day and sub-zero temperatures are forecast for the next few days.

There were some small accumulations of fresh snow on the upper mountain.

It is just 16 days until the official start of the snow season and the Queen's Birthday long weekend.

Mount Buller resort has invested $450,000 in snow-making equipment for the coming season.

Mount Hotham had its first snow two weeks ago and had plenty more snow today as the cold front moved across the state.

ABC