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MELBOURNE - Snow is forecast in bushfire-ravaged areas of Victoria for Christmas Day, in a "crazy" twist for firefighters who have been battling blazes in the alpine region for weeks.
Temperatures over 30 degrees Celsius and wind gusts of up to 100km/h are today fanning the massive bushfires which have placed dozens of communities at risk in Victoria's north, north-east and east.
But the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) says the four-day weather forecast holds some relief for the 4,600 emergency personnel who have been battling the fires and building containment lines.
"This will be the test of those (containment lines) today," DSE spokesman Duncan Pendrigh said.
"But the good news is there is some rain coming, and it will be really cold on Christmas Day. Maybe even some snow, so it's crazy."
The Bureau of Meteorology confirmed it was forecasting up to 15 millimetres of rain - the biggest rain dump this month - would follow a south-westerly change predicted to hit the state's fire-ravaged east from late today or tonight.
A cold stream of air would follow the rainy change, and the bureau says this is expected to produce a light dusting of snow on Mount Buller, and other alpine peaks, on Monday, Christmas Day.
"It's an interesting twist," Mr Pendrigh said of the prospect of snow.
"But it will give us a rest, though, which is good."
He said all communities to the south and east of the fires should remain on high alert today, while Mount Buller village also was expected to come under ember attack.
"Mount Buller village is a major concern, we have a lot of protection around that but the fire is going to go up Mount Buller most likely today," Mr Pendrigh said.
Dargo in Gippsland, which is surrounded by bushfires, would come under pressure today, as would communities in Matlock and Woods Point, he said.
The fires, many of which have been burning since December 1, have left one man dead, destroyed more than 30 houses and burnt out 830,000 hectares of bushland.
The affected region covers much of the state's east, and it spans the Great Dividing Range and also takes in much of the Alpine National Park.
On the fire front today, there were about 350 visiting firefighters from the ACT, NSW and New Zealand.
The kiwi firefighters will return home tomorrow but a fresh batch is due to arrive in Victoria in the first week of January.
- AAP
