Snow in Stanthorpe: Granite Belt residents awe-struck by September snowfall

Granite Belt residents couldn’t believe their eyes when bitterly cold conditions turned to snow and sleet in a spring weather event that stunned the region.

An unseasonably frosty day turned into a wintry blast on the Granite Belt with widespread reports of sleet and snowfall.

Mick and Gloria King saw pea-sized snow fall in Stanthorpe on Tuesday. Photo: Madison Mifsud-Ure / Stanthorpe Border Post

Mick and Gloria King were lucky enough to see the snow come down on Tuesday just outside Stanthorpe.

The couple said they were driving along Thorndale Road in the afternoon and saw soft “pea-size” snow fall from the sky for a short burst of about five minutes.

“When we pulled up at our friends house it started to hit the road, we thought it was hail but then realised it was sleet,” Mrs King said.

Marea Caterer and her grandchildren Brentley and Sophie Pascoe saw tiny bits of sleet at their home in Thulimbah for roughly three minutes at about the same time.

“We didn’t get any photos, it just happened too quick,” she said.

Mrs Caterer said the temperature was so cold, she was sure some unusual weather was on its way.

“The kids came inside twice to add more layers,” she said.

Ten-year-old Sophie said she and her brother had a blast playing in the snow, trying to catch the snowflakes in their mouths.

Granite Belt resident Kazz Danzey said she saw a snowflake or two in The Summit for about five minutes, and was loving the still-cool temperatures.

“There wasn’t enough, it just melted straight up,” she said.

Liam Barker said he saw a little bit of sleet on Tuesday afternoon.

“It was just like rain for about a minute,” he said.

Kazz Danzey with her grandchildren Hayley Danzey, Airlie Barker (6), Ruby Danzey (10), Kricket Wooster (12) and Hudson Barker (8) saw some sleet in The Summit. Photo: Madison Mifsud-Ure / Stanthorpe Border Post

Bureau of Meteorology meteorologist Doctor Helen Reid said there were several reports of light white dusting in New South Wales and a few reports in Eukey after 4pm Tuesday.

“We weren’t expecting much at all, the air mass is quite dry and not enough moisture to freeze, not even enough to make a snowball,” she said.

“There were a couple of little bits of accumulation on the ground, but that wouldn’t have lasted very long.”

Dr Reid said Applethorpe recorded a frosty minimum temperature of -1.7C at 6am Wednesday.

“(Wednesday) is going to be cold and wintry, there’s a very dry air mass, the winds are still quite brisk making it feel colder,” she said.

The frosty conditions will expected to continue into Thursday morning with a low of 0C expected, before gradually warming up for the rest of the week.

Stanthorpe residents woke up to some frosty conditions on Wednesday morning. Photo: Madison Mifsud-Ure / Stanthorpe Border Post