The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe weather warning for damaging winds for parts of the East Gippsland, North Central, North East and West and South Gippsland forecast districts.
Meteorologist Matthew Thomas said damaging winds were expected around the eastern ranges until the early evening.
Despite warm temperatures yesterday, a cool change would bring a drop in temperatures over the weekend, he said.
"The cold front will cross the state today and it will direct quite a bit of precipitation, initially over western and central Victoria but that will push into the east of the state into the afternoon and evening," he said.
The cold front would linger above the north east of the state, he said.
"There is a risk of thunderstorms with the front, we have seen some thunderstorms through western and central Victoria this morning," he said.
"The thunderstorm risk is mostly about eastern and central Victoria during the afternoon and early evening.
"There is potential for severe thunderstorms producing heavy rainfall and damaging winds about eastern and central Victoria during the afternoon and evening."
Rain was expected to be heaviest about the eastern ranges, with totals between 30 and 60mm.
He said falls would be significant over central parts of the state, with 20 to 40mm forecast for the remaining eastern parts.
The west and the north were only expected to receive about 10 to 25mm.
Rain was forecast for Gippsland later on Saturday and into Sunday.
"On Saturday we're looking at about 30 to 60mm about the northeast ranges, around 15 to 35mm about the remainder of the east, and less than 10mm elsewhere," he said.
A flood watch is also current for the north east, central Victoria and Gippsland.
Senior hydrologist Karen Hudson said heavy rainfall was likely to lead to widespread minor flooding throughout Gippsland catchments and the north east.
"It is possible that we could see moderate flooding at some locations," she said.
"We'll start to see river rises from Friday evening and overnight into Saturday, with the minor flooding most likely to develop from Saturday morning.
"The flooding will then start to ease as we go through the weekend and into next week."
The flood watch covered all of the Gippsland catchments, including areas that were impacted in June, but major flooding was not expected to develop, she said.