Delayed winter snowfall disrupts Australian ski resorts ahead of school holidays
Consensus Summary
Australian ski resorts in Victoria and New South Wales experienced a delayed start to winter, with significant snowfall finally arriving just before the school holidays. Both the Guardian and ABC report that a cold front brought snow to the Victorian Alps and Snowy Mountains on Thursday night and Friday, with accumulations of 10 to 20 centimetres reported across multiple resorts. Perisher received 20cm of snow on Thursday night, while Mount Hotham saw 30cm in 48 hours according to the Guardian. The ABC highlights that this snowfall came after a record-warm June, with temperatures 2.17C above the 1961 to 1990 baseline in eastern states, marking the second warmest June since 1910. The delay has shortened the ski season, with experts like Andrew Watkins from the Guardian predicting a further 30% decline in snow depth by the middle of this century. The ABC notes that 2026 marks the worst start to a ski season in 69 years, with no snow accumulation until the second week of July in 1957. While both sources agree on the late arrival of snow, the Guardian emphasizes the long-term decline in snow depth and season length, while the ABC focuses on the extreme warmth of June and the rapid transformation of the alpine region after the cold front.
✓ Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Snowfall of 10 to 20 centimetres was reported across ski resorts on Friday
- Perisher ski resort received 20cm of snow on Thursday night
- Mount Hotham reported 30cm of fresh snow in 48 hours
- The ski season could be as much as three weeks shorter than in the past
- Snow arrived just in time for the school holidays
- Snowmaking machines were used to supplement natural snowfall
- The delay in snowfall is linked to warmer-than-average temperatures
- Snowfall was reported in the Victorian Alps and Snowy Mountains in NSW
- The cold front arrived overnight, bringing significant snowfall after a largely snowless start to winter
- Snow is expected to continue through Friday before clearing tonight
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Casey McCarthy from the Bureau of Meteorology mentioned snow showers would continue through Friday across the Victorian Alps and the Snowy Mountains in NSW
- Andrew Watkins, a climatologist, noted a 30% decline in snow depth and a similar decline in the length of the snow season since the middle of last century
- Watkins predicted a further 30% decline in snow depth by the middle of this century
- Thredbo reported 28cm of total snowfall, with snowmaking machines running
- Watkins, a 56-year-old skier for 40 years, bought season tickets for his family’s school holiday visit next week
- The youngest daughter is 16 years old
- The atmosphere has been too warm to allow snow to fall anywhere but the very highest peaks
- The wait for snow was described as 'the real treat' by Perisher ski resort on Thursday night
- The ski resorts were described as 'stoked' and 'finally looking, and feeling, like winter again'
- Perisher picked up 301 millimetres of precipitation from June 1 to July 2, with only 25mm falling as snow
- Snow depth at Spencers Creek was 0cm on July 1, against a long-term average of 70 centimetres
- The last time there was next to no snow by July 1 was 2015
- Snow did not accumulate until the second week of July in 1957, making 2026 the worst start to a ski season in 69 years
- The mean temperature across Australia in June was 1.5C above the 1961 to 1990 baseline, and the warmest in 30 years
- June’s mean temperature in eastern states was 2.17C above the baseline, the second warmest on record since 1910
- Adelaide and Melbourne recorded near-normal highs on Thursday of 15C and 14C, respectively
- Sydney reached 23C on Thursday but is forecast for 19C on Friday
- Another front will bring snow down to 700m in Tasmania on Saturday morning
- The next chance of snow is next weekend
- The Bureau of Meteorology’s long-range modelling favours warmer-than-average weather for July and August, typical of El Niño years
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- The Guardian states snowfall of 30cm was reported in Thredbo and Perisher on Friday, while the ABC does not mention this specific measurement for those locations
- The Guardian mentions 30cm of snow in Mount Hotham in 48 hours, but the ABC does not provide a specific measurement for Mount Hotham in that timeframe
- The Guardian says the delay in snowfall started in the middle of last century, while the ABC states the warmest June in 59 years occurred in 2026, with no mention of a specific starting point for the trend
- The Guardian mentions a 30% decline in snow depth since the middle of last century, while the ABC does not provide a percentage decline but instead highlights record-breaking temperatures in June 2026
- The Guardian states the ski season could be three weeks shorter, while the ABC does not mention a specific duration reduction but notes the worst start to a ski season in 69 years
Source Articles
Ski resorts ‘stoked’ as winter snow finally arrives in Victoria and NSW
Mount Hotham says ‘the wait is over’ and Perisher is ‘feeling like winter again’ as fresh snow blankets alpine slopes Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast An overnight cold front has swept across south-east Australia, bringing significant snowfall to much of the high country after a largely snowless start to winter. Almost 30cm of snow was reported on Friday in areas including Thredbo and Perisher in New South Wales and Mount Hotham in Victoria. Continue reading...
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