Michael Bowman, 57, was expected to finish walk at Lake St Clair on Friday

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

The search for a Victorian hiker who has spent his fourth night lost in the Tasmanian wilderness resumed on Tuesday morning, as the weather bureau warned he was at risk of hypothermia.

Michael Bowman, 57, was expected to finish a walk at Lake St Clair visitor centre in the state’s Central Highlands on Friday.

Bowman, from Mount Waverley in Melbourne’s east, has not activated his emergency beacon.

A Bureau of Meteorology forecaster, Matthew Thomas, said strong conditions would persist overnight, with serious concerns for any person left out in the cold.

Three dead and one missing as cold and windy weather hits Australia’s south Read more

“Cold temperatures and strong winds increase the risk of hypothermia,” he said of the conditions overnight, saying rain would wash snow into rivers and creeks.

Police believe Bowman set up camp in a sheltered area to do day walks in the Mount Cuvier region before he became stuck in bad weather.

A Tasmania police inspector, Darren Hopkins, told ABC Radio on Monday the search team would check huts along various trails in the Cradle Mountain area.

“We’ll be flying through the park tomorrow by helicopter and checking all the huts along the way, provided we can get the helicopter in – but we’re expecting the weather to clear,” he said.

Police and State Emergency Service crews have battled freezing and snow conditions during their hunt for the missing man. The temperature at Lake St Clair was due to drop to a low of 2C overnight.

Several bushwalkers had to be rescued from blizzard-like weather in the southern state at Lake Petrarch near Lake St Clair on Monday.

Two New South Wales hikers were plucked from the Walls of Jerusalem national park to the south earlier in the day.

In a separate search mission, an experienced West Australian father-and-daughter hiking duo were also caught in bad weather in Lake St Clair national park.

The pair have suitable equipment and were making their way to Pelion Hut, from where authorities will decide if they need help.

People have been urged not to go bushwalking unless they are ready for freezing weather.