Canberra's wet weather on Wednesday will be just a taster of conditions to come with strong winds, possible hail and even snow forecast for later this week.
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A slow-moving band of rain brought steady showers across the ACT on Tuesday night and into most of Wednesday.
More than 10 millimetres was recorded at Canberra Airport since 9am on Wednesday, while Mount Ginini had more than 12 millimetres.
The Bureau of Meteorology said the wet conditions were brought on by a cold front moving across southern NSW and the ACT.
A severe weather warning was issued for the south of the ACT on Wednesday for damaging winds and heavy rain.
Meteorologist at the bureau Gabrielle Woodhouse said Wednesday's rain was just the start of wintery condition that were set to hit the capital.
"Over coming days we'll be seeing blustery westerly winds, and combined with colder temperatures, it will feel significantly colder during the day," she said.
"You'll want to be rugging up because Friday will be almost freezing cold."
Friday's temperature will drop to a maximum of just 7 degrees with a low of only 3.
Winds of up to 40km/h coming in from the west will make those low temperatures feel even colder.
The colder weather brought on by the front will also bring snow to the southern parts of the ACT.
While Canberra suburbs are unlikely to see any snowfalls, snow levels will be above 1000 metres in areas around the Brindabellas and Snowy Mountains.
Ms Woodhouse said while the rain would ease off on Thursday, there would be the chance of storms.
"As the rain band moves through we'll see more moderate falls overnight and it will be weakening on Thursday morning," she said.
"While we may see some showers, it will bring the potential for hail.
"We could see hail in southern NSW and the ACT, and at this stage it's more likely further west, but it's not out of the question that we could see something later on Thursday."
The bureau meteorologist said while the current weather pattern was not unusual in Canberra, the low temperatures brought on by the cold front were unseasonal.
"With a strong cold front like this, the system is fairly typical, but what's less typical is how early we're seeing maximum temperatures less than 10 degrees," Ms Woodhouse said.
"It's fairly significant to see it this early."
Thursday's high will be just 13 degrees with a low of 9, while temperatures will remain in single digits all of Friday with some rain expected.
The mercury has been forecast to rise into double digits on the weekend, reaching 12 on Saturday and a low of 4.
Sunday will see minimums reach almost freezing, dropping to just 1.
Andrew Brown
I've been part of the Canberra Times since 2016, after reporting at local papers in Sydney's north-west. Since starting at the paper I've had stints on the Sunday Times, on the early morning breaking news round, and now as a general reporter, covering the ins and outs of anything and everything happening in Canberra, with a focus on health.
I've been part of the Canberra Times since 2016, after reporting at local papers in Sydney's north-west. Since starting at the paper I've had stints on the Sunday Times, on the early morning breaking news round, and now as a general reporter, covering the ins and outs of anything and everything happening in Canberra, with a focus on health.
