Weather News

Deep snow covering Australia's alps

Ben Domensino, Friday September 8, 2017 - 20:01 AEST

Australia's 2017 ski season has reached new heights this week.

A pool of very cold air surging north from Antarctica brought repetitive rounds of snow to Australia's southeast during the last six days.

Snow cover is so deep in some areas that ski resorts have had to dig chair lifts out of snow drifts to keep them operating. Having snow this dry on top of a natural base this deep is rare in Australia.

According to Snowy Hydro, the natural snow depth at Spencer's Creek in NSW was a whopping 233cm on Wednesday. This is a new peak for the current season and the highest level measured at the site in 17 years.

More snow has fallen in the last two days and there is a good chance that the natural base at Spencers Creek is currently sitting above 2.5 metres.

Off the back of the latest falls, a number of resorts have extended their season to give skiers and boarders extra time to enjoy the snow covered slopes.

Away from the alps, snow has also fallen to low levels in Australia's southeastern states this week.

In Tasmania, a number of schools and roads were closed on Friday due to the recent snow. The state's Mount Mawson Ski Group even published an advisory to warn visitors about the potential for avalanches outside patrolled ski areas.

Dry weather will return to the alps this weekend as a high pressure system drifts over the southeast.

- Weatherzone

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A very wet weekend for southeast Qld, northeast NSW

11:48 AEST A prolonged rainfall event is set to bring large totals to parts of NSW and Qld from Saturday, with possible heavy falls and flooding. A low-pressure system in the Coral Sea, a deepening coastal trough and persistent easterlies will bring moisture-laden air into southeast Qld and northeast NSW will bring days of rainfall to the region. While there is not a drop of rain on the radar over southeast Qld and Northeast NSW on Friday morning, the mass of cloud associated with a low in the Coral Sea will enhance rainfall over the weekend.