Metre of snow forecast for Australia’s alpine regions to help slow start to ski season
Up to a meter of snow is forecast for parts of Australia as winter’s warm start gives way to an Arctic storm for grateful ski resorts
- Up to 115 cm of snow in Snowy Mountains in the next 10 days
- The ski season got off to a slow start due to the warm June
Massive amounts of snow are predicted to fall in the Alpine regions of the country after a slow start to the snow sports season.
As much as 115 cm of snow is expected to fall over the NSW Snowy Mountains over the next ten days, according to reports from Perisher Resort.
The popular ski resort only managed to open limited slopes for the opening of the ski season last weekend, while competitor Thredbo had no open slopes.
The main ski lift that gives skiers access to most of the resort was able to open mid-week with the help of artificial snow cannons and a dump of 8 inches of natural snow on Tuesday night.
WeatherZone meteorologist Ben Domensino has predicted up to a foot of fresh snow in some of the country’s top resort areas over the next two weeks.
“Despite some good snowfall in southeastern Australia in May, there was lackluster snow cover in the first two weeks of June due to the absence of strong cold fronts in the early winter,” he said.
WeatherZone meteorologist Ben Domensino has predicted up to a foot of fresh snow in some of the country’s major resorts over the next two weeks
As much as 115 cm of snow is expected to fall over the NSW Snowy Mountains over the next ten days, according to reports from Perisher Resort
“However, this could change in the second half of June, with a series of cold fronts poised to bring several rounds of cold air and snow to Australia’s Alpine region.”
A cold front is expected to cross the Alps on Sunday, bringing the first mound of snow before a lingering front adds another layer on Monday.
The two systems could bring up to 16 inches of snow by Tuesday.
“We know not to count our chickens until they hatch,” Perisher said in a post on their Instagram stories on Friday.
“But the forecast has got us pretty excited.
A cold front is expected to cross the Alps on Sunday, bringing the first snowpack before a dragging front adds another layer on Monday (photo, Weatherzone)
Multiple cold fronts seem to be heading straight for the mountains.
“Fingers crossed, they stay on track.”
By the middle of next week, ideal conditions for snowmaking will return with a series of dry days and cold nights.
“Looking further ahead, there are early signs that another squall of cold fronts may sweep South and South East Australia by the end of next week,” Domensino said.
Snowboarders and skiers can hopefully look forward to ideal snow depths from this coming weekend, with early models suggesting an additional 40 to 80 cm could fall between Thursday and Sunday.
Victorians opened their pick of four ski resorts this weekend, including Falls Creek, Mt Hotham, Mt Baw Baw and Mt Bullet.