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Best snowfalls in a decade forecast for eastern Australia. Strap yourselves in for the megablizzard

DAY three of the megablizzard and it’s still snowing heavily. Meanwhile in New Zealand... oh, dear. Anyone for grass skiing?

ANTHONY SHARWOOD
4 min read
June 23, 2014 - 2:01PM
Winter's here: skiers and boarders enjoy the fresh powder at Thredbo

BLAH, blah, blah, New Zealand snow is better. Blah, blah, blah. Not this week it’s not.

This is Australia right now...

Lunch choices are a little limited at Perisher today.
Lunch choices are a little limited at Perisher today.

And this is New Zealand.

 

The Remarkables skifield base area looking rather unremarkable with only patchy snow.
The Remarkables skifield base area looking rather unremarkable with only patchy snow.

While Australia rejoices in the heaviest June snowfalls this century, with the majority of lifts at all resorts set to open by the weekend, the Kiwis have barely got two snowflakes to rub together.

We’d bus a few snow starved Kiwis over to Oz if only we could dig the bus out. Pic: Perisher facebook.
We’d bus a few snow starved Kiwis over to Oz if only we could dig the bus out. Pic: Perisher facebook.

Here’s the rather morbid Facebook message posted by Kiwi skifield Treble Cone resort this morning:

“Following the current rain across the ski field, unfortunately the snow cover on the lower Home Basin will be insufficient for Opening tomorrow and our Opening Day will be delayed. The good news is that there is snow in the forecast for the next few days and we will monitor the condition of the ski area daily and re-schedule Opening Day for as soon as possible.”

And this from nearby Cardrona skifield:

“We are CLOSED today due to heavy rain and gale force winds . On the bright side...temps are dropping and we’re expecting SNOW...remember to do your snow dances today!”

The snow in the NZ forecast is only expected to be light snow which will likely do little to open the slopes.

This is Coronet Peak near Queenstown, where hordes of Aussies flock because it’s cheaper, steeper and deeper. And tussockier.
This is Coronet Peak near Queenstown, where hordes of Aussies flock because it’s cheaper, steeper and deeper. And tussockier.

At least the Canterbury region skifield Mt Hutt is failing to live up to its nickname of “Mt Shut”. For once. Its blurb says:

“Mt Hutt is OPEN... Very limited off-trail skiing and riding due to variable snow conditions and numerous rock hazards.”

Meanwhile, an even stronger storm than the one which delivered up to 120cm of snow to Australia this week is set to strike this weekend.

Thredbo, Australia. A ski resort with actual snow. Unlike New Zealand at present.
Thredbo, Australia. A ski resort with actual snow. Unlike New Zealand at present.

If forecasters are right, and they sure were this week, yet another metre of cold white goodness will likely be coating the Australian Alps by Monday.

Yes, the megablizzard continues. Here’s a little Tweet from Falls Creek in Victoria to show you how that’s going.

Don’t forget to scroll down for Monday’s and Tuesday’s stories, which include heaps more freshly-updated (on Wednesday) images of the snowstorm of the century.

MONDAY AND TUESDAY’S STORY (also with updated images)

IT’S here. The megablizzard. Snowpocalypse now. This baby has been on the weather charts all week and it’s howling its way through the Australian Alps as you read this.

Experienced weather watchers are calling it the storm of the century. They’re saying it could snow on and off, but mostly on, for the next 10 days.

And now the megablizzard has arrived. The NSW resorts of Thredbo and Perisher received 40cm and 50cm respectively overnight. Hotham, Falls Creek and Mt Buller (pictured below) in Victoria all reported similar totals.

A spokesman for Thredbo confirmed to news.com.au that as of about 3.30pm, 80cm of snow had now fallen in the past 24 hours.

“It’s an incredible amount for June, I’m not sure it’s a record, but it has set us up for the rest of the season,” he said.

Snow followed by more snow with some delightful snow for dessert is what’s on the menu at Mt Buller today, the closest major ski resort to Melbourne.
Snow followed by more snow with some delightful snow for dessert is what’s on the menu at Mt Buller today, the closest major ski resort to Melbourne.

And speaking of Mt Buller, check this before and after sequence. It sure is a big difference from Monday morning to Tuesday afternoon.

Not good.
Not good.
A major step in the right direction.
A major step in the right direction.
Alright, alright! Is there such thing as too much snow? Picture: News Corp Australia
Alright, alright! Is there such thing as too much snow? Picture: News Corp Australia

The official Australian ski season started two weeks ago but up till yesterday then, there had been a desperately thin snow base with only a lift or two turning at the NSW resorts of Perisher and Thredbo. Victorian resorts, which are a little lower than their NSW counterparts, had nothing but grass.

Here it comes! Falls Creek in Victoria on Monday afternoon as the megablizzard strikes. Pic: ski.com.au
Here it comes! Falls Creek in Victoria on Monday afternoon as the megablizzard strikes. Pic: ski.com.au
That’s better. The Tuesday morning shot with 35cm or so on the ground and much, much more expected.
That’s better. The Tuesday morning shot with 35cm or so on the ground and much, much more expected.
Because of all the bushes, The Summit at Falls Creek is one of the last skiable runs in Australia. Getting very close now. Pic: ski.com.au
Because of all the bushes, The Summit at Falls Creek is one of the last skiable runs in Australia. Getting very close now. Pic: ski.com.au

That all started to change yesterday and after a brief lull in the early morning hours, the storm appears to be intensifying now.

Carlsberg Cold ... This was at Mt Hotham in Victoria on Monday night, barely 12 hours into a megablizzard which is tipped to last as long as 10 days. Entire beer trucks could soon be buried.
Carlsberg Cold ... This was at Mt Hotham in Victoria on Monday night, barely 12 hours into a megablizzard which is tipped to last as long as 10 days. Entire beer trucks could soon be buried.
The same beer bottle this morning.
The same beer bottle this morning.

There’s bucketloads more snow coming today and by early next week, we could be looking at virtually all lifts spinning at resorts on both sides of the Murray, with a metre or more of cover. Just in time for the school holidays too, the two week window which is vital for our ski industry bottom line.

Here’s the Excelerator run at Perisher on Monday morning, pre-megablizzard. Pic: ski.com.au.
Here’s the Excelerator run at Perisher on Monday morning, pre-megablizzard. Pic: ski.com.au.
And the late Monday afternoon image. Get excited. Pic: ski.com.au.
And the late Monday afternoon image. Get excited. Pic: ski.com.au.
Here’s your early Tuesday arvo shot.
Here’s your early Tuesday arvo shot.

Snow in Australia has been generally declining in recent years. Here’s a graph that proves it.

Obviously the projection into the future cannot be relied upon. But the line of decline from the 1950s to the present day is very accurate. The blue bars represent the peak depth at Spencer’s Creek. And for those asking why the measurements don’t start before the 1950s, it’s because there was no Snowy Hydro scheme then, so nobody bothered. Image by Glen Fergus, gergs.net.
Obviously the projection into the future cannot be relied upon. But the line of decline from the 1950s to the present day is very accurate. The blue bars represent the peak depth at Spencer’s Creek. And for those asking why the measurements don’t start before the 1950s, it’s because there was no Snowy Hydro scheme then, so nobody bothered. Image by Glen Fergus, gergs.net.

The graph shows measurements from Spencer’s Creek, halfway between Perisher and Thredbo. The readings are taken weekly by electricity generation company Snowy Hydro to predict water inflows to dams, and are therefore unaffected by resort spin doctors.

Snowfall decline is not just a result of warmer temperatures. Climatologists say that one of the clear effects of climate change is fewer snow-bearing systems making their way from the Southern Ocean to the Australian Alps.

The official Bureau of Meteorology charts for today and tomorrow. if you can’t read a weather map, the black lines with ‘shark fins’ bring cold weather from the Southern Ocean. This means snow. Hooray.
The official Bureau of Meteorology charts for today and tomorrow. if you can’t read a weather map, the black lines with ‘shark fins’ bring cold weather from the Southern Ocean. This means snow. Hooray.

Ever heard of the roaring forties? It’s an old maritime term which refers to the band of low pressure systems in the 40s latitudes. During winter, these systems can push northwards and bring their cold, moist subpolar air to southern Australia. In a good snow year, plenty of these systems push north. In a poor year, like the worst ever season of 2006, hardly any break through.

That’s why the current weather charts have snow watchers in such a lather. It’s not just the current cold front, marked by a line with what you might call black “shark fins” on the weather map. It’s the fact that there’s another front, and another due after that. The one next Saturday in particular looks like a doozy. And there’s a chance of more snowy action well into next week on the long range charts.

It’s going to get better than this. We promise.
It’s going to get better than this. We promise.
Told ya! This is the bottom of Thredbo, where 20cm has now fallen. Up top they got more than double that and it’s still snowing like mad.
Told ya! This is the bottom of Thredbo, where 20cm has now fallen. Up top they got more than double that and it’s still snowing like mad.

Here’s what a user called “Snowblowa” said on the forums on leading snow industry website ski.com.au:

“Seriously when was the last time we were looking at a potential 100cm event to kick off the season properly with potential mega follow up?!!!!!!! We gotta savour this, it’s gunna be awesome, we might be saying in five years “remember late June in 2014”. Besides, we are so over due, last few years in General have been pretty average.”

Bit of a bleak old walk across the bridge in Perisher on Tuesday morning.
Bit of a bleak old walk across the bridge in Perisher on Tuesday morning.

Others on the site have dug through the archives to compare the current weather charts to famous megablizzards of the past.

“Reminds me of a system we had in early August 2004. It didn’t stop snowing for 10 days or something like that. Still has to happen, of course.”

Compare this 2004 weather chart from today’s charts pictured higher up. As you can see, they are nearly identical. This 2004 storm brought a metre or so of snow, hence the optimism for today’s event. Woo-hoo.
Compare this 2004 weather chart from today’s charts pictured higher up. As you can see, they are nearly identical. This 2004 storm brought a metre or so of snow, hence the optimism for today’s event. Woo-hoo.

Indeed it does. But as mentioned, the megablizzard has already started, in a welcome throwback to the days when heavy snowfalls were more regular in Australia. We’ll keep updating our images as the storm continues. Hopefully by tomorrow morning, we’ll have some pics of what snow industry people like to call “snow porn”. Ugly phrase, beautiful thing.

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Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-ideas/ski-snow/best-snowfalls-in-a-decade-forecast-for-eastern-australia-strap-yourselves-in-for-the-megablizzard/news-story/07038c7fea6096775c9828000ae53194