Update Thursday 12pm: A senior forecaster says the Wimmera will miss the worst of the wild winds expected to lash Western Victoria from Thursday afternoon.
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The Bureau of Meteorology's Rod Dickson said localised destructive wind gusts of 130 kilometres an hour were possible from Casterton down to the south west coast.
"Further north wind gusts will probably be 90 to 100 kilometres an hour," he said. "We could get a touch above that this evening.
"For the Grampians, the strongest winds will probably go through before the snow hits, so there shouldn't be blizzard conditions there.
Mr Dickson said the snow would most likely fall on Thursday night, when the snow level dropped to 800 metres. He said visibility on the national park's peaks would likely be low during this time.
The latest severe weather warning was issued at 10.40am, when the State Emergency Service advised that people:
- Move vehicles under cover or away from trees
- Secure or put away loose items around the house, yard and balcony
- Keep clear of fallen power lines;
- Park their cars undercover and away from trees.
- Stay inside if conditions outside appear dangerous.
- Contact family members and neighbours to ensure they are aware of the situation, if safe to do so.
- When preparing your property, ensure you take appropriate safety precautions and do so well before the severe weather arrives.
For people who were driving, the SES advised:
- If driving conditions are dangerous, safely pull over away from trees, drains, low lying areas and floodwater.
- Be aware of road hazards such as mud, debris and damaged roads or bridges.
- For road closure information, check the VicTraffic website, contact your local council or call VicRoads (13 11 70).
Since Wednesday, Horsham and Warracknabeal have both received 19 milimetres of rain, Kanagulk nine, Edenhope four, Nhill 25 and Stawell 18.
Previously:
The Grampians could receive another dusting of snow this weekend, as the mercury is expected to reach no higher than five degrees in Halls Gap on Friday.
The Bureau of Meteorology is predicting a wintry blast will hit Victoria later this week, bringing damaging winds and rain across the Wimmera.
Senior meteorologist Richard Carlyon said two strong cold fronts would affect Western Victoria from Thursday.
"Once it arrives it will become cold very quickly and windy as well," he said.
"We will see snow really build through Thursday and Friday and develop down to some really low levels, around 500 or 600 metres by Friday morning and then we will see further snowfalls into the weekend."
The bureau is predicting snowfalls at Bellfield and Mafeking among other Grampians localities.
"The strongest winds are likely to be late on Thursday and Friday morning, when severe weather warnings will probably be issued," he said.
"We may see gusts of 90 to 100 kilometres per hour and gusts of up to 120 km/h over alpine areas."
Mr Carlyon said most regions of Victoria could expect to receive between five and 25 millimetres between Wednesday and Sunday, but the far north west of the state would miss out on the bulk of the rainfall.
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