'Thundersnow' weather forecast as icy blast sweeps South Australia, NSW, and Victoria

Melbourne to be hit with high winds after storms leave 4,000 properties without power in SA and bureau forecasts thunderstorms combined with snow

Hail, storms, damaging winds and "thundersnow" could sweep across parts of South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales, in what the Bureau of Meteorology described on Wednesday as "the strongest weather system this winter" to hit south-east Australia.

Melbourne's suburbs could be hit by 110km/h winds on Thursday night and Friday morning, while Adelaide and Sydney were also set to experience icy blasts as the storm swept across the country.