Weekend of gloom forecast with thick clouds visible from space
The thick cloud coverage is visible from space, with a clear crescent storm system floating above the East Coast.
Moderated by Tomas Kauer 
Australia's east coast is set for a soaking this weekend as a weather system moves from the west over the area.
Dark, gloomy and wet weather will cover Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania this weekend, with some rain expected in all states and territories.
The thick cloud coverage is clearly visible from space, with a crescent storm system floating above the East Coast.
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Weather experts say that while there will be widespread rain, it won't cause any flash flooding or severe weather.
"The main thing with the weather event that we're seeing at the moment is perhaps not how much rain each place is getting, it's how extensive the rain has been and will continue to be across the country," Bureau of Meteorology Senior Meteorologist Angus Hines said.
"It's just this huge band of wet weather which started off in Western Australia a couple of days ago, then yesterday and overnight last night it swept through South Australia.
"Today it's going to be across the eastern states, and it's really stretching all the way from somewhere up in north Queensland down to the far south of Tasmania."
He said most areas will experience a small amount of rain, with the majority of it expected in parts of central Queensland and Tasmania.
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"So for most areas they're getting a little bit of rain, but not too many spots are getting us worried about major heavy rainfall or flooding or anything like that," Hines said.
"For a lot of places where it has actually been quite dry, this rain is more welcome than worrying.
"For those parts that have really missed out on rain not just this year, but all of last year, that rain will be really welcome on those dry landscapes."
In Victoria, snowfall in the Alps will add a different type of cold this weekend.
There's already been 21cm of snow at Mt Buller this morning, and conditions have eased from some intense winds last night.
The area recorded wind gusts up to 140km on the summit overnight.
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Today, snow enthusiasts have been urged to drive safely and take it easy.
"Our mountain operations team have got a really big job to check all those lifts and make sure that we're safe, and it's not finished yet," Mt Buller snow reporter Rhylla Morgan said.
"We've still got a little bit of snow flying around, and snow in the forecast as far as we can see for the rest of the week.
