Australia Weather News

Victorians are being urged to batten down the hatches ahead of severe winds expected overnight.

Gusts of up to 100 kilometres per hour are due to buffet Melbourne about midnight.

On Friday gusts of up to 110kph are forecast for alpine areas ahead of a cold, wet weekend.

A severe weather warning for damaging winds is in place for the Southwest, Wimmera, Central, North Central, West and South Gippsland districts, alpine areas in the Northeast and East Gippsland.

The Bureau of Meteorology's senior forecaster Dean Stewart said people should secure items on their properties and avoid parking under trees.

He said the severe weather was not expected to be as bad as the windstorm that hit the state on October 8.

"Nevertheless the winds are still strong enough that it could still cause some trees to be uprooted given the soil is quite sodden," he said.

"With the Moto GP this weekend, anyone heading to camp down at Phillip Island overnight tonight would be advised to put a couple of extra tent pegs in to make sure their tent doesn't blow away.

"I certainly wouldn't park my tent under a tree."

The winds will probably gust for about a six-hour period ahead of a front that will bring cold and wet weather over the weekend.

Rainfall totals of 20-30 millimetres are possible in the Otways, the Central and Gippsland areas over the weekend.

ABC