Winter is going, but Canberrans shouldn't rush to get their spring hats and picnic blankets out just yet.
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They can expect at least one more cold front to sweep over the city before the warmer weather stays around – and they might want to soak up whatever sunshine they can this week as there's likely to be some rain about.
The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting up to 15 millimetres to follow a mostly sunny Friday morning, bringing along afternoon winds of up to 40 km/h.
Sporadic showers are tipped to continue from Saturday through until Wednesday, with heavier rain more likely on the later days.
The spring-like weather that Canberrans have enjoyed for most of the past week, with some days reaching 18 degrees, will take a break on the weekend as a cold front hits, bureau duty forecaster Andrew Haigh said.
"We will have a cold front come through on Friday which will drop the temperature quite dramatically, with the maximum dropping to 9 degrees on Saturday and 11 on Sunday," he said.
"The front will enter the south-west corner of NSW early tomorrow and then make its way across Canberra."
Night-time temperatures were likely to fall to 5 degrees on Friday, and between 0 degrees and 2 degrees from Saturday to Tuesday.
Mr Haigh said the front was caused by a large, cold air mass coming in underneath the warm air and pushing it away.
He said the fluctuation in temperatures was common for this time of year while the weather adjusts to a season changeover.
"After the pretty cold spell on the weekend, the temperatures will gradually come back up to abut 16 degrees on Tuesday as spring comes nearer," he said.
But before the cold spell passes, there will be some damaging winds on higher regions surrounding the ACT, although Canberra will be protected.
The bureau issued a warning for Friday afternoon and evening with winds averaging 60 to 70km/h, with peak gusts of more than 90km/h for the Snowy Mountains and surrounding areas.
Places likely to be affected included Mount Ginini, Jindabyne, Perisher Valley, Charlotte Pass, Thredbo and Adaminaby.
The State Emergency Service urged people in those areas to move cars under cover or away from trees, secure loose items around houses and yards and keep away from fallen power lines.
Meanwhile, Mr Haigh urged Canberrans to wait until the weekend to travel to the snow, when the wild weather was expected to pass.
Looking forward to spring, he said there was a 60 per cent chance the season would be wetter than average, though it was too soon to tell for sure.
"The odds are in favour for a wetter-than-drier three months from August to October," he said.
"But this could change."
