A blast of wintery conditions set to dump up to 100cm of snow and bring blizzard conditions to the mountains, could leave a dusting on Canberra's peaks.
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A strong cold front moving north across Victoria and NSW will bring cold air up from Antarctica with showers, hail, thunder and snow expected for large parts of southern NSW across Friday and Saturday.
Damaging winds were forecast to hit the Queanbeyan and Goulburn areas on Saturday as it funneled down from the ranges.
Large parts of the ACT and NSW were in for snowfall as the level dropped to 600m.
The temperature will plummet with a top of 7 degrees in Canberra on Saturday.
Bureau of Meteorology duty forecaster Helen Kirkup said although conditions were ripe for snow, it was unlikely Canberra's suburbs would see much of it.
But, the highest peaks including Mt Majura could be in for a sprinkling.
"The system is coming from the west so most of the moisture will probably be seen on the western side of the ranges, which means not much is expected to actually make it through to the Canberra region itself," she said.
"It's going to be cold enough for high places to see snowfall but whether there's going to be anything falling out of the sky.
"There might be a few places that see snowflakes, but we're not talking snowballs in the car park."
At the skifields, heavy snowfall and strong winds have caused blizzard-like conditions and forced some resorts to close lifts.
Both Perisher and Thredbo reported 15cm snowfall on Thursday night, with up to 100cm expected to hit between Friday and Sunday night.
Thredbo's Caroline Brauer encouraged snow-goers to stay alert to changing conditions as some lifts and trails may close as the weather unfolded.
"If these conditions continue and the snow continues to fall, guests can expect incredible skiing and snowboarding across the entire resort on Sunday," she said.
The resort, which is running at a reduced capacity due to COVID-19, was sold out this weekend.
With lift-tickets in short supply more people have taken up cross-country routes, which posed a risk in the dangerous conditions.
SES Queanbeyan-Palerang unit commander Chief Inspector Robert Cunneen said crews were on stand-by for damaging winds and icy roads this weekend.
He said the heavy rainfall which hit the region two weeks ago could destabilise trees, leading to more severe damage.
"Because the ground is now so water logged, those winds can knock over trees quite easily," he said.
"The ground is saturated and not binding to the tree and holding it to the ground."
He urged people to tie-down loose items outside their home and put their car undercover if possible.
A high pressure system will swoop in once the icy and blustery conditions have subsided by the start of next week, bringing with it warmer days and freezing mornings.
"Most of next week we are looking at some decent frosty nights that are much colder," Ms Kirkup said.
"That will also equal those clear sunny days, so it's not all bad."