Surprise spring snow hits south-east Australia in unseasonal cold blast

Snow fell across parts of New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania after an unseasonal cold blast hit south-east Australia. Thredbo, Perisher and Mount Hotham recorded snowfalls, along with kunanyi/Mount Wellington in Hobart.

Details

The Bureau of Meteorology had forecast the snow. Similar falls also occurred in November 2022. Madeleine McVie, a retail manager at Thredbo, shared videos on Instagram showing heavy snow continuing into Sunday morning. In Tasmania, the Kingston Crows cricket club shared a photo of Kingston Beach Oval covered in hailstones.

Weather Causes

The Bureau of Meteorology stated that a weather system carrying cold air north from Antarctica caused the chill. Strong south-westerly winds pushed real-feels temperatures down. At midday, Adelaide, Melbourne, Hobart, Canberra and Sydney all felt cooler than 13 degrees. Adelaide reached 17.5 degrees which felt like 12.3 degrees, while Canberra recorded a maximum of 12.9 degrees that felt like 5.3 degrees. Brisbane, Perth and Darwin remained warmer in the twenties and thirties.

Context

Warmer temperatures are forecast to return quickly, with all capital cities expected to reach at least 20 degrees by Tuesday. This event aligns with broader warnings from meteorological bodies about extreme weather patterns driven by climate factors and a supercharged El Niño.