Snow in Australia
Snow in Australia is rare at sea level, but is common on the highlands of the southeast, in the states of New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and in the Australian Capital Territory. Snow has been recorded in every state and territory, though among the state capitals only Canberra, Hobart and Melbourne have recorded snow. However it is much more common in the regional areas, with the cities of Orange and Ballarat featuring annual snowfalls and populations of over 40,000 and 120,000 respectively.
Snow sports are well established in Australia's south-east and Tasmania, though climate change has substantially reduced natural snowfall and opportunities for snowmaking at Australian resorts, particularly at the lower elevations, representing a threat to the viability of Australia's ski industry.
The Antarctic oscillation is the primary driver for snow in Australia, where a negative phase allows cold airmasses off the Roaring Forties to push further north. The El Niño-Southern Oscillation and Indian Ocean Dipole also play a role, though mainly in rainfall; there is a strong reduction in alpine snowfall during years of El Niño coupled with +IOD phases. Non-alpine and low-lying areas however tend to benefit from El Niño, as they are much more reliant on cold air than rainfall, being associated with a weaker jet stream that allows cold air to be displaced more readily.
Climatology
Incidence and variability
Only in the Australian Alps in the southeast and in the mountains of Tasmania does a winter snowpack develop. Areas that do get snowfalls most winters but do not develop a winter snowpack include the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, the Central Highlands and Otway Ranges of Victoria, and the low lands of Tasmania. Snowfall elsewhere is an unusual event.Snowfall in Australia is highly variable according to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. For example in 1973 temperatures remained too warm for much snow, while 1981 saw deep snow followed by a winter almost too dry for snow in 1982. However, historically most other years saw abundant winter snow. The unpredictability of Australian snow conditions was again highlighted in 2006 when a severe drought and poor snow season gave way to a "White Christmas" in December : abundant snow falls in the alpine regions of New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania and even a low-level snowfall on 25 December in the Dandenong Ranges, a low mountain range on Melbourne's eastern suburban fringe.
Low altitude and low-moderate latitude; as well as seasonal dust storms in the Simpson Desert depositing red dust on the ranges, keep the snow season relatively short. Heavy snow can fall however, at any time between April and December in the Australian High Country, with areas like Mount Dandenong receiving snow in December. In past decades heavy natural snow seasons have seen the snowpack reach or more at its maximum depth in August, at an elevation of, Spencers Creek, the Australian Alps, New South Wales, but the last time this happened was in 1992.
Climate change
The Australian snow season varies greatly from year to year, however precise measurements since 1954 confirm a significant declining trend in the average maximum snow depth, with a downward tendency of about 0.4–0.6 cm per year since 1954. This is a result of increasing temperatures and decreasing cold extremes in the winter, leading to an increase in alpine rain events and less reliable snowfalls. The years 2023 and 2024 had very weak snow seasons owing to the remarkably warm conditions from June to July, and drier than normal August to September with extreme high mean temperature anomalies. Since 1950, the Australian Alps' annual average temperature has risen by around 1.4 degrees Celsius.Australia's ski resorts are located near the top of the highest mountains in Australia with little scope to relocate to higher altitudes if the existing ski fields become too warm.
Alpine areas
Australian Alps (mainland)
In southern New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and eastern Victoria, the elevated regions of the Snowy Mountains, Brindabella Range and Victorian Alps experience an alpine climate, where the areas above are subject to a consistent winter snowpack. Heavy snow normally occurs down to around above sea level, especially on the western side of the ranges, while lighter and more sporadic snowfalls occur down to most years.Kiandra, Cabramurra and Perisher Valley receive an average of 47.5, 53.2 and 60.2 snowy days annually, respectively – elevations are, and in that order. For northern hemisphere comparison, Kiandra receives more annual snowy days than Toronto and Harbin, with Cabramurra tying with Winnipeg and Perisher Valley with Buffalo, New York.
In the Victorian Alps, Falls Creek, Mount Hotham and Mount Buller receive 61.2, 66.1 and 67.6 snowy days, respectively. Elevations are, and in that order. For northern hemisphere comparison, Mount Hotham receives slightly more snowy days than Syracuse, New York, and Mount Buller receives almost the same amount of snowy days as Warsaw.
In the Gippsland region, the alpine areas of Mount Baw Baw, and Mount St Gwinear,, are prominent snow destinations, both situated within the Baw Baw Plateau. Mount Baw Baw operates as a small ski resort and typically sees reliable snowfalls through the cooler months, with snow cover lasting from June to September in most years. These peaks experience snowfall primarily driven by moist southerly and south-westerly airstreams funneled through the Latrobe Valley via Bass Strait, contributing to their relatively high snowfall amounts despite their low elevations compared to other resorts. Due to their extreme southern latitude they are more susceptible to snowfalls outside of winter and even in late spring and summer.
Tasmanian Highlands
In Tasmania, mountainous areas receive heavy snow above sea level every year, and due to its far southern latitude, this level frequently drops to and at times even in the south and west of the state. Mount Wellington which rises to is frequently covered by snow, at times even in summer, receiving 57.3 days of snow annually.Butlers Gorge, Lake St Clair and Liawenee in the Central Highlands feature 27.1, 33.1 and 41.8 snow days a year, respectively. Elevations are, and in that order.
Regional towns and cities
New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory
In the Central West, the major regional city of Orange receives an average of 3.9 snowy days per annum. There are many smaller towns in the region that receive snow on an annual basis, such as Blayney, Millthorpe and particularly Oberon which sees an average of 6.2 snowy days annually. The last snowfall in Cowra, a town of just, occurred in 2015. A freak snowfall had occurred in the Central West on 5 July 1900, bringing an impressive of snow to Mudgee, while Bathurst measured at in the main street.Heading east to the upper Blue Mountains, in towns such as Katoomba, Medlow Bath, Wentworth Falls, Leura, Mount Victoria, Blackheath and Lithgow, 3–4 snowfalls per year are recorded. Being on the eastern side of the ranges, snow is confined to higher elevations due to the foehn effect, and it is extremely rare to see snow below Lawson.
Snow is relatively rare in the Southern Highlands of the Illawarra due to its eastern location, though the last significant snowfall occurred in Berrima, Bowral and Mittagong in July 2015. In 1947, the Macquarie Pass road was covered in a dusting of snow. Further south in the nation's capital Canberra, it snows once every few years, though snowfalls are common in the Monaro region to the far south, in towns such as Cooma, Bombala and particularly Nimmitabel which sees eight snowy days annually.
Following the Hume Highway further inland, it snows occasionally in the regional city of Goulburn and in towns like Gunning and Yass. The northern and north-western parts of the region are substantially higher in elevation, with moderate to heavy snowfalls occurring most years in Crookwell and to a lesser extent Taralga. Going further inland to the South West Slopes, it snows regularly in the town of Batlow, with frequent heavy snow at Laurel Hill. In August 2019 there was snow on the ground in Tumut at, with reports of flakes as far north-west as Junee.
In western New South Wales, particularly in the Riverina, snow is observed to much lower altitudes than elsewhere in the state, being more exposed to cold south-westerly airmasses. Parkes, Forbes and Wagga Wagga, among others, have recorded snow on multiple occasions in the past, despite their very low elevation; snow has been observed to settle as low as in Albury, most recently in July 1966. Snow has been recorded on three separate occasions in Narrandera,, in August 1899, July 1901 and June 1908.
In northern New South Wales, snow is recorded once or twice every few years in Guyra, Armidale and Glenn Innes on the Northern Tablelands, and rather scantily, in Nundle. Going further inland to Gunnedah, in the North West Slopes at just, the most recent snowfall occurred in 1984. In Dubbo, in the Orana region, it last snowed in July 1951 and 1920, with a heavy snowfall in July 1900. The far northern town of Inverell, and nearing the 29th parallel, last saw snow in August 1923, with an impressive falling in September 1892.
Victoria and Tasmania
Due to their latitude and exposure to cold south-westerly airmasses, snow regularly occurs at much lower elevations than in New South Wales, with some occurrences to sea level.In western and central Victoria it snows around once or twice a year in the major regional city of Ballarat, as well as in Kyneton and Strathbogie, while in Trentham it snows on 7.8 days per annum. Horsham and Hamilton have recorded significant snowfalls in 1882, 1888, 1901 and most impressively October 1910, with a few occurrences north to Bendigo.
In Victoria's North-East, Beechworth snows about once or twice a year, while the higher localities of Bogong, Tolmie and Woods Point receive 5.7, 8.7 and 7.8 snow days per annum, with occasional snowfalls in low-lying towns like Corryong. A heavy fall of snow was observed in Benalla on 31 May 1913.
In East Gippsland, the locality of Bendoc averages 14.7 snowy days per annum, while Omeo sits at 4.7 days. Unlike the rest of the state, this region receives the majority of its snow events from southerly weather systems off the Bass Strait.
In southern Victoria and West Gippsland, there is a greater chance of late spring and summer snowfall, with an occurrence of snow on 25 December 2006 in the Dandenong Ranges, not more than in elevation. Snow to or less is not uncommon during winter, particularly on the Strzelecki Ranges in the deep south of the mainland. The former town of Aberfeldy averages 32.5 snowy days per annum at, making it the snowiest locality in mainland Australia, in addition to having more snowy days than northern hemisphere cities with colder winters like Boston, Chicago and even approaching those of Minneapolis.
In Tasmania, towns nearer to sea level such as Queenstown, Zeehan, Oatlands, Bothwell and Rosebery feature around 2–3 snow days per year, with Erriba recording 8.6 days, Waratah in the northwest recording 9.5 snow days per annum, Strathgordon around 12.7 days, Tarraleah in the Central Highlands recording 14.1 snow days and Bronte Park also in the Central Highlands registering 17.6 snow days per annum.