Reports of snow in Mid North, combination of hail and snow at Mt Lofty
Eager snow seekers braved the wintry conditions at Mt Lofty summit early this morning in the hope of seeing a winter wonderland – but the weather bureau says what fell was likely a combination of hail and snow. However people in the Mid North have received the real stuff.
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Hail or snow or a combination of both? That was the question at Mt Lofty summit after eager snow seekers arrived in the early hours in the hope of seeing the white stuff.
While some people were convinced they had seen real snow, making snowmen and snowballs, the Bureau of Meteorology said it was more likely a combination of both.
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“It could be a combination of both (at Mt Lofty). It’s definitely cold enough for hail and for snow as well,” bureau spokeswoman Jenny Horvat told ABC Radio Adelaide.
“It’s probably not quite cold enough to get it on the ground … it’s probably a combination.
“It was sitting around 1.4C to 1.5C at Mount Lofty (early this morning) with a feels-like temperature of minus 2C.”
However, people in the Mid North near Jamestown did receive the real stuff, with reports of about 3cm of snow blanketing the ground.
The bureau confirmed that this was snow and not hail. “Definitely some snow round about the Hallett area,” Ms Horvat said.
Wild weather that whipped through the state on Thursday afternoon brought down a 70-year-old tree in the Adelaide Zoo’s monkey exhibit.
The Old English Elm tree fell around 12.30pm taking out part of the Golden Lion Tamarin tunnels.
Snow was forecast to fall on Mount Lofty and Flinders Ranges on Friday morning, as a polar plunge fuelled by a cold front swept through on Thursday afternoon.
The last time the state recorded snow in spring was in October 2012.
A wintry blast is on the way for southern SA ⛄
— Bureau of Meteorology, South Australia (@BOM_SA) September 23, 2020
Image shows very cold air in the upper atmosphere moving over SA late this week - bringing showers, small hail and isolated thunderstorms across the south. Latest forecasts at: https://t.co/uom8D2pZpI pic.twitter.com/QB4y3SlAt7
Friday is forecast to reach a top of 13C, which Ms Horvat said was a colder-than-average day for this late in September.
Saturday is forecast to reach 15C, and Sunday a top of 18C.
SA should see temperatures back in the 20Cs early next week, with Monday expected to reach 21C.
It comes after snow fell in the Flinders Ranges at Skytrek Willow Springs Station last month.
Many regional centres recorded their lowest maximum August temperatures on record because of the snow.
