Tasmania weather: Blizzard warning as polar blast continues in state
Two people have been seriously injured by a falling tree in the north of the state. WILD WEATHER WARNING>>>
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Two people have been seriously injured by a falling tree in the north of the state.
Police and emergency services responded to the Beulah area just before 6.30pm, with two people believed to be seriously injured by a fallen tree.
Tasmania Police have urged people to stay inside for the remainder of the evening.
‘Strong winds and severe weather is affecting many parts of Tasmania this evening, and police are urging people to stay inside, and to reconsider their need to travel on the roads,” police said in a statement.
“Police have received reports of fallen trees and powerlines in various locations across the state, with some power and phone line outages occurring.
“The northwest coast is being particularly impacted, particularly around the Sheffield area.
“Please stay inside if you can, and beware of the risk of falling trees and powerlines.
If people are travelling on roads, please drive at a speed that allows plenty of time to stop quickly, do not try and travel if you can’t see clearly out your windscreen, be aware the roads may be slippery, and you could be driving on ice and black ice, which is almost invisible and leave plenty of space between your vehicle and the vehicle ahead.”
‘Tasmanian powder’ covers ski fields as system edges closer
Tasmanian snow lovers are eager to get to Mt Mawson ski fields this weekend - where there is a quality snow covering - but they’ll need to be equipped with a 4WD.
The road to Lake Dobson was closed this morning due to safety concerns around snow and ice, but it has since reopened for 4WD’s only.
The Department of State Growth will monitor its condition during the day.
Southern Tasmanian Ski Association president Peter Davis said the snow quality at Mt Mawson ski field was excellent, among the best for the June long weekend in many years.
This weekend marks the official opening of the Mt Mawson ski season.
“Because the conditions have been so very cold, that has been great for the snow and has given us very, very dry snow - what we call Tasmanian powder - which is as good as you will get anywhere,” Mr Davis said.
He said both ski tows would be operating at Mt Mawson ski field.
Vision from the visitor centre webcam shows a strong covering of snow, with the Mt Mawson snow report on Saturday indicating the depth to about 40cm.
There has been about 10cm of snowfall in the past 24 hours.
SES ready to go as Tassie holds its breath
State Emergency Service (SES) crews are on high alert as Tasmania braces for a weekend of wild and woolly weather.
Strong and gusty west to south-westerly winds of more than 100 km/h are forecast across the state for Saturday evening, with the Bureau of Meteorology issuing severe weather warnings for both damaging winds and surf on Friday.
The most intense conditions are predicted to hit the state overnight on Saturday, extending into early Sunday morning. Snow is then forecast to fall to 100-200m in the south and rise to above 700m in the evening.
SES Tasmania acting director Leon Smith said there had been six calls for help due to strong winds in the south on Thursday night: three in South Hobart and one each in West Hobart, Lewisham and Gagebrook.
“We have a high level of readiness (this weekend), our units are informed of the weather situation, they’re prepared and our members make themselves available given the potential,” Mr Smith said on Friday.
“We’ve got all of our units with full resourcing around the state available for a response.”
Mr Smith said people should make sure they secured outdoor objects and were cautious on the roads, with “a lot of potential” for black ice until mid-next week.
Road Safety Advisory Council chair Scott Tilyard urged motorists to drive to the conditions, which often means going slower than the speed limit.
“Allow more time for your journey and plan to drive in the middle of the day or daylight hours when visibility is better, and ice and snow are less likely to be on the road,” he said.
Coastrider Surf Academy owner Jono Mereszka said big swells would entice surfers to various point breaks in the south and on the east coast.
“There are a lot of surfers frothing for this weekend,” he said.
“When the surf actually gets to a certain size or gets big enough, then a series of point breaks start to happen, which only happen when the surf does get big.
“So that’s why there’s so much excitement around – it’s that these certain places that are breaking … may only break up to a dozen times a year.”
Mr Mereszka said places like Frederick Henry Bay, Seven Mile Point, Cremorne Point and Lauderdale Point would be popular spots for surfers on the Queen’s Birthday long weekend.
A spokesman for SeaLink Bruny Island said the ferry service would “absolutely” still be running despite the weather. He said sailings would be cancelled if the safety of passengers was at risk.
Stand by, it’s about to get devilishly cold in Tassie - Friday
The first snows winter at Cradle Mountain are a special time for all - even the region’s native wildlife.
Staff at the Devils at Cradle wildlife sanctuary captured this photo of 15-month-old female devil Jem exploring in the snow this week.
Wildlife keeper Renee Dodd said it was always entertaining to watch the devils interact with the snow.
“It’s quite funny to see their reaction. They don’t really know what it is. They’re not sure if they can eat it or just play with it,” she said.
“Last year we had a group of boys who tried to catch it as well.”
Miss Dodd said Jem had a cheeky personality.
“She’s very inquisitive and still loves a good cuddle from mum,” she said.
Miss Dodd said as snow was part of the devils’ natural environment it did not significantly impact their behaviour.
“They don’t seem bothered by it at all, if anything they just spend a bit more time in their dens,” she said.
There are currently 51 devils at Devils at Cradle, which is part of the national insurance population program.
Miss Dodd said while it could snow at any time of year at Cradle Mountain, this year’s winter snow had come a little earlier than usual.
There is a high chance of snow through until Sunday in the Cradle Valley, with overnight temperatures dropping below zero.
Batten down for ‘blizzard’
Meanwhile, “blizzard-like” conditions could batter parts of Tasmania this long weekend as an “Antarctic blast” sweeps across the state.
Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) senior meteorologist Simon Louis said wind gusts up to 100km/h were forecast for Thursday night and could be powerful enough to remove tree branches, send objects flying around backyards and shift roof tiles.
“We expect those winds to ease during the day tomorrow, however, it will remain cold,” he said. “And a follow-up cold front on Saturday will deliver a really Antarctic blast up from the south.”
Late on Thursday afternoon, the BOM issued a severe weather warning for the southeast, upper Derwent Valley, Central Plateau, and Midlands regions, as well as parts of the western, east coast, northwest coast and central north forecast districts.
It came as damaging south-westerly winds were developing in the evening across central and southeastern parts of Tasmania.
The forecast prompted Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service to cancel ferry services to Maria Island on Saturday and Sunday, with a limited service on Friday to allow visitors on the island to return to mainland Tasmania.
Mr Louis said snow was expected to fall as low as 200m overnight on Saturday and into Sunday, adding that flurries may be observed even lower than that.
“Along with that snow on Saturday, we’re also expecting strong winds to redevelop, and there’s potential for another severe weather warning during the day on Saturday,” he said.
“And so for places up in the highlands, the Central Plateau and up around Cradle Mountain, you could see almost blizzard-like conditions, with the combination of snow falling and very strong winds.”
People in elevated areas like Fern Tree, the back of Collinsvale and parts of South Hobart could wake up to see snow settled in their backyard on Sunday morning, Mr Louis said.
“It won’t settle and stay for a long period at those lower elevations where the suburbs are,” he said.
There is a “reasonable chance” of minor flooding in the Huon River over the weekend and the BoM’s hydrology team will be monitoring the situation to assess whether any warnings need to be issued.
Tasmania Police Assistant Commissioner Jonathan Higgins urged motorists to drive to the conditions, noting there will also be a higher number of tourists on the roads due to Dark Mofo.
“It’s incredibly important that people look after themselves and look after others,” he said.
“With our road toll as high as 28 lives lost this year, it’s not only disappointing, it’s a tragedy for our community.
“If we can prevent crashes with some more care on the road, it’ll certainly ensure that everyone gets to where they need to be safely.”
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Originally published as Tasmania weather: Blizzard warning as polar blast continues in state
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