Calm down, Victoria. It's just winter

HOW COLD IS IT IN VICTORIA?

Snow has fallen below 500 metres in parts of the state as a cold front moves across Victoria.

Erskine Falls, on the surf coast, is blanketed in white, while the Victorian Alps has had 20-25 centimetres of snow in the last 24 hours.

In Melbourne, the top temperature reached 10.7C.

WHY IS VICTORIA COLD?

It's winter.

"This is just the first burst of cold air for the winter," says Ted Williams, the Bureau of Meteorology's Victorian weather services manager.

HOW RARE IS "WINTER"?

Despite its regularity, usually three months from June to September, it seems to catch the public and media by surprise each year.

Is this the start of cold things to come, Mr Williams is asked.

"Um, yep, we're moving into winter," the expert says.

BUT ISN'T THIS WINTER WORSE THAN NORMAL?

"So far this winter is no colder than previous winters," Mr Williams said.