Current Conditions

Recent conditions haven't been ideal for both natural snow and snowmaking here in Australia. Just a dusting of snow exists about the upper slopes of the Australian Alps and mild, humid conditions the last couple of days have caused damage to the man-made snow cover at Thredbo and Perisher. Other resorts, such as Buller and Mt Baw Baw thankfully have great big stockpiles of the stuff ready to be spread out for Opening Day. But will it be enough to get them over the line?

Resorts are scheduled to open this Friday and Saturday (7th-8th June), and this weekend is a long one, Monday being the King's Birthday public holiday for much of Australia. There are a tonne of events on and a lot of partying to be done, so regardless of the snow conditions, it’ll be a blast. Check out the official ski resort pages for info on Opening Weekend events.

Forecast for Wednesday to Saturday (5th to 8th June)

Another slow-moving storm system develops off the New South Wales coast during this four-day period, which will direct mild and moist southeast winds at the Australian Alps. Those winds will kick in Wednesday and will become fairly strong for Thursday and Friday, before easing and turning southwards during Saturday.

As a result, damp, cloudy conditions will persist throughout the Australian Alps, along with periods of drizzle and/or light rain, which will be more persistent at resorts in New South Wales which will be worst affected. Visibility is likely to be low at times, and the existing natural and man-made snow will take a bit of a beating.

Forecast for Sunday (9th June)

A weak cold front hits the Aussie Alps on Sunday. Cool westerly breezes should see light flurries falling up high at first before a brief south-to-southwest change brings light snowfall close to the base altitude of most resorts.

Extended Forecast

A ridge of High pressure on Monday 10th June should clear up any remaining light snowfall and thin out the cloud cover.

Tuesday 11th June into Thursday 13th June is likely to bring the first decent snowstorm of the season. However, model forecasts have continuously backed off on the amount of cold air reaching the Australian Alps and thus snowfall amounts have also diminished.

At this stage, the upper slopes are lined up to receive a moderate dump, and the low slopes a light load of snow. Still, this should put Australian resorts in a better position to get things running for the second weekend of the season, and the snow machine should be able to make up some of the shortfall with the man-made stuff.

Thanks for reading. I'll keep these forecasts coming every Monday, Wednesday & Friday throughout the southern hemisphere season.

Michael O'Connor