Winter has returned to Melbourne following a touch of spring during the week.

It was a cool afternoon on Friday, with temperatures as low as 10 degrees in the city (that's about 10 degrees lower than Thursday afternoon).

A cold front that passed through over lunchtime was a snap back to seasonal reality, following a sunny Thursday where the mercury pushed over 20 degrees in the city.

The cool front also brought rain of 10 millimetres or more to most Melbourne suburbs.