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Snow storms heading for Australia's alps

Ben Domensino, Friday August 3, 2018 - 14:04 AEST

A series of snow-bearing cold fronts could push Australia's natural snow base towards two metres by the end of next week.

A favourable mix of cold air and precipitation will deliver about half a metre of fresh snow to the Australian alps by next Sunday, with higher accumulations possible in some areas.

The first cold front will cause rain to develop in the alps this afternoon, before temperatures drop and snow starts falling late on Friday and into Saturday morning.

The next front will bring more fresh powder on Monday and Tuesday, followed by a third snow-bearing system at the end of next week.

The flurry of fronts will also produce powerful winds and blizzard conditions are likely at times. The strongest winds will occur today, this Sunday night into Monday morning and from Friday next week. Earlier today, wind gusts had reached up to 130km/h at Thredbo Top Station.

The impending powder will be building on more than a metre of natural snow that's already sitting on the ground in Australia's alps after five consecutive weeks of net snow gain.

On Thursday, the natural snow depth at Spencers Creek in NSW was 131.7cm, which is near-average for this time of year and this season's best depth to date.

While there will be some rain and snow loss today before the temperature drops, there will be plenty of snow during the next week and a half. The natural depth at Spencers Creek could be approaching the two metre mark after next weekend.

The snow depth at Spencers Creek has not reached two metres in mid-August or earlier since 2004, while only two out of the last 10 years have managed to reach this depth at any point in the season.

- Weatherzone

© Weatherzone 2018

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