The Bureau of Meteorology’s senior forecaster at the extreme weather desk Scott Williams said clear nights and dry soils meant the region would experience frosts as September begins. 

“We have a high pressure ridge over us that will give us light winds and fairly clear skies at night so that means frost,” he said.

“After a chilly morning with inland frosts, the southeast of the country can expect a settled first day of spring with plenty of sunshine and light winds.”

Despite the cool start to September, the bureau is predicting a warmer than average spring is likely in the region.

Warm sea surfaces off the coasts will cause warm nights across eastern Australia.

Mr Willams said on Sunday people across south-east Victoria could expect gusty and possibly damaging winds of 100 kilometres a hour, up to 120 km/h in alpine areas. 

“After that it gets cold,” he said. “Spring is typically changeable and this one starts out changeable as normal.”

Albury-Wodonga can expect temperatures between minus 1 and 18 degrees next week.

Mr Williams said there was a chance of snow as low as 500 metres late Monday or into Tuesday. He said the country had experienced its driest winter since 2002 and warmest winter since 2009. 

“It’s been warm over Victoria for much of winter and dry as well,” he said. 

Albury-Wodonga experienced an August high of 19.5 degrees, a low of minus 3.5 degrees and 96mm of rain.

Despite the cold start spring is expected to be warmer than usual with its temperatures likely to exceed the average, 21.1 degrees, for the three-month period.

Falls Creek, Wangaratta, Benalla, and Mount Hotham are all expected to exceed their median spring temperatures.

The region can expect an average amount of rainfall through September, October and November, of about 194mm.

The bureau’s Climate Prediction Manager, Dr Andrew Watkin said the unseasonable winter increased the country’s bushfire potential.

“We’ve just experienced a very warm and dry winter. In fact, daytime temperatures were at record-high levels across much of the country this winter,” he said.

“These warm and dry conditions have meant fire potential in parts of eastern Australia has been unusually high this winter.”