THERE’S an old saying that if you’re in Victoria and you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes,

And that’s certainly been the case over recent weeks.

After a welcome, warm introduction to December in the south-west last week, the rain returned to round-out the weekend and kick-off another damp week.

After hitting temperatures in the comfortable 20-degrees on Sunday morning, through to mid-afternoon, a cold front blew in rather rapidly, bringing with it almost 13 millimetres of rain up to 9am, Monday. Followed by another five millimetres to midday.

The Bureau of Meteorology advises cold fronts and low-pressure systems have and will continue to bring wintery conditions to much of south-eastern Australia this week, with showers, storms, strong and gusty winds and well below average temperatures for this time of year.

For large parts of inland New South Wales and eastern Victoria, the first half of December is looking to be one of the coldest on record – for both maximums and minimums – despite warmer conditions over the weekend.

Maximum temperatures will be 6 to 12 degrees below average for much of south-east and southern Australia this week with Hobart and Melbourne also potentially experiencing record-low maximum temperatures this week.

Meanwhile, across Northern Australia heatwave conditions are easing with humidity and storms returning.

Severe to extreme heatwave conditions have impacted many northern Australian communities over the past week with temperatures in the mid to high 40s at many locations.

A Flood Watch remains current for parts of northeast Victoria and south-east New South Wales, with a risk of minor flooding in north-east Victoria and south-east New South Wales over the coming days.