Weather News

Cold front delivers for boardriders

Craig McIntosh, Saturday June 25, 2016 - 13:47 AEST

After a slow start to the snow season and a week of small to no surf, an intense cold front has brought some happiness to snowboarders and surfers in Victoria and New South Wales.

Victorian snowboarders have been cheering with good falls across the Alps. Falls Creek, Hotham and Mt Buller received 9cm, 8cm and 17cm overnight respectively. Add that to the snow guns blowing away with bitterly cold temperatures and it's frozen smiles all round. Skies are going to clear throughout the weekend, and with 20-30cm of snow likely to fall over the next week, it's looking good for the near future.

Surfers have not been left out in Victoria either. The cold front whipped up waves around the five foot mark to finish off the week. The winds are going to shift to the northwest from Sunday, with waves likely to drop. Never fear, however, as Victorian surfers will see a spike in the swell on Monday with favourable winds.

New South Wales has been cold to the bone in the wake of the cold front. With plenty of moisture in the air, snowfalls have excited snowboarders north of the border. Around 10-30cm has accumulated over Thredbo and Perisher in the last 24 hours, and blizzard conditions have given way to blue bird skies. Cold temperatures and 10cm+ of snow is expected in the coming week, so snow guns can add to the 40-50cm depths currently at both resorts.

Surfers along the New South Wales coast can also finally ride some waves after a mainly flat week. Typical of weather patterns such as the cold front, blizzard conditions across the Alpine regions are a prelude to big, southerly swells and offshore winds. Areas along the South Coast are seeing waves well over head height, while surfers on coasts to the north will be watching the waves grow in size throughout today.

With a cold front currently clipping southwestern WA, there is a good chance those who stand sideways will be waxing their boards for more winter fun in solid and liquid water in the coming week.

- Weatherzone

© Weatherzone 2016

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