Snow in one part of NSW and potential fires in another.
That's the contrasting weekend forecast by the Bureau of Meteorology as school holidays begin.
A cold front is expected to drop snow down to 700m in southern parts of the state, while warmer conditions further north raise fire danger levels.
Acting NSW/ACT bureau manager Agata Imielska said it was quite common for spring to bring changeable conditions across the state.
"We're seeing that change from a bit of summer weather coming through and a bit of winter reminding us that we're not quite as far away from those wintry conditions," she told reporters on Friday.
Up to 40cm of snow could fall in the alpine areas, stretching out the ski season.
There are potential white dustings on the cards for Canberra, Oberon, Orange, Crookwell and possibly around the Barrington Tops.
"We might see areas with snow settling and (people) waking up to that sort of winter wonderland," Ms Imielska said.
"But for the most part, they are quite lower accumulations."
Southern NSW could encounter possible thunderstorms on Friday.
The far north coast, meanwhile, is likely to have heightened fire danger fuelled by dry, warm and windy conditions.
Ms Imielska said temperatures in the area would drop as the front moves through overnight, but the heightened fire danger would linger into the weekend.
Sydneysiders won't be immune to the icy blast, with "deceptive" temperatures in the city on Saturday feeling about 10 degrees lower than forecast.
"We are expecting a top of 19 degrees, but it will actually feel more like eight or nine degrees," she said.
"Looking outside it will be quite sunny, but with that wind chill (and) dry air coming through will feel quite a bit cooler."
Wild winds in excess of 100km/h lashed Sydney and other parts of NSW on Friday afternoon, sparking reports of travel impacts, damage and power outages.
Endeavour Energy said power supply was interrupted to more than 19,500 customers at the peak of the storm, with the strong winds bringing down trees, branches and powerlines in many spots.
Some 14,000 homes and businesses across western Sydney are still without power as crews continue to work into Friday evening.
Australian Associated Press
