BATTEN down the hatches, Ballarat, Daylesford and The Grampians region looks is likely to be hit by a strong cold front which will cross the state overnight.
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Temperatures around Ballarat are expected to not get above nine degrees by Friday, but the winds will make it feel even colder.
Senior forecaster at the Bureau of Meteorology Tom Delamotte said winter will hit with a bang over the next 24 to 48 hours.
"We have a cold front approaching from the west today, winds will steadily increase during the day, peaking this evening and overnight," he said
"We've put out a damaging wind warning out for the ranges through central parts of Victoria and the Grampians as well.
"Potentially we will see gusts to 120km/h in the alpine peaks, but generally around 90-100km/h in the warning area."
A second front will also pass over the state on Friday, which has the potential to bring up to 20cm of snow to the mountain ranges, but could also see a few flurries down as low as 900m
"We do expect (rain) falls of around 10-20mm in in south-west Victoria and the north east ranges. You can expect higher falls over 25mm on the south-west coast.
"Elsewhere we expect 1-6mm range, with less in the Mallee and East Gippsland.
"We will see some snow out of the first system, but moreso out of second front which will move across Victoria on Friday and it should remain cold enough for a little bit of snow on Saturday as well."
"We will probably see some small hail in the west on Thursday, but generally broader on Friday. The air mass will warm a little bit as we get through the weekend."
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