Australian Weather

[NorthNSW]

Always welcome add to anything I post Styx.

Great pic, you've got to love a good lightning storm. Last week's storms were not overly severe but they were quite lightning active (so I suspect that photographer wouldn't needed to have their camera on timelapse for too long). A couple of days of decent moisture blown into that trough, and it delivered (didn't get anything at my house though *sobs*, but that's just how the cookie crumbled). Moisture should start increasing across the east coast over the next few weeks, with the ocean warming and winds tending onshore more often. The troughs/fronts should be able to put this increased moisture to better use.

Alice Springs has had its longest dry spell on record, breaking the previous record of 147 consecutive days (See: http://www.weatherchannel.com.au/main-menu/News/Breaking-News/Parched-Alice-Springs-endures-longest-dry-spell-on.aspx). The dry spell continues. Alice Springs also equalled its September record high today reaching 38.8ºC (also recorded on Sep 22nd 2003).

We are experiencing very dry weather too, with just 0.8mm here this month (at present, the 3rd driest Sep on record). Although the very dry conditions are localised, as last week's storms created some uneven rainfall distribution over a small area, with a decent number of locations within an hour of here receiving 15 to 50mm.

[Upgrade]

Very much enjoy reading this thread. I am emigrating to Melbourne at the beginning of November & look forward to adding my observations!

[NorthNSW]

A lightning active high-based storm passed through this afternoon. Not much rain, just 1.4mm due to the high-based nature of the storm and dry air near the surface. Lots of CGs, a really spectacular storm lightning-wise. Feel sorry for the holidaymakers at the campsites. They would have been sweating bullets being underneath those tall Norfolk Pines with that frequent lightning, hopefully they had the sense to retreat to the car rather than stay in their tents.

Below is a picture of the lightning the cell produced in one hour as it approached from the NW, moved straight over South West Rocks and out to sea:

[NorthNSW]

Summary here for the past five days (Date/Min/Max/24hrRainfall):

Sep 20th - 14.4ºC/24.7ºC - 0.2mm

Sep 21st - 14.0ºC/23.5ºC - Nil

Sep 22nd - 14.3ºC/24.2ºC - Nil

Sep 23rd - 14.4ºC/24.2ºC - Nil

Sep 24th - 14.5ºC/22.0ºC - 1.4mm

Past five days:

A warm and pleasant few days. A little light rain fell in the early morning of the 21st (contributing to the 20th's rainfall). A couple of showers and weak storms managed to form in the dry conditions on the 21st ahead of the trough, but those stayed on the ranges. Fine conditions on the 22nd and 23rd. A trough moved through during the early morning of the 24th, and stalled not too far to our north later that morning and into the afternoon. Weak, high-based convection late that morning largely produced virga showers with the odd bit of lightning (mainly offshore). High-based storms then fired on the ranges to our west and northwest around midday, with some of this activity continuing towards the coast in the early afternoon which brought a lightning-active storm here (but little rain falling because it was high-based).

The upcoming week (Sep 25th to Oct 1st):

A light drizzly shower or two is possible this evening/overnight in weak onshore E/SE'ly winds. A high pressure system should bring fine weather from tomorrow morning until Saturday afternoon. A cold front and associated trough are expected to move into the state on Friday, and continue moving through eastern parts on Saturday. Some light rain is expected to fall here during Saturday afternoon and into the night. Reasonably warm mid/upper temps will inhibit storm activity in the local area, that's not to say a couple of isolated storms won't develop in the marginal conditions, but I'd give the slight chance of storm here on Saturday afternoon. Sunday should clear to a fine day. A high pressure system near Tasmania is expected to turn winds easterly on Monday, but it should remain fine.

Heading down to the Southern Highlands of NSW in the morning. Looks like the weather might be touch-and-go for the wedding on Friday I'll be attending though. Hopefully the showers/storms hold off until around 2pm, as the ceremony will be over by then.

~~~~~

The month of October:

Warm days and mild nights usually sums up October temps. Maximum temps average 23.2ºC, and minimum temps average 15.1ºC. Record high max is 39.2ºC (22/10/1988) and record low min is 7.8ºC (07/10/1966). Humidity usually starts to build toward the end of the month. Humidity/moisture has been rather scant in recent weeks though, not that September should be humid, but you'd think we were in western NSW with these very dry conditions.

October is one of the drier months of the year (fourth driest on average). The average rainfall for October is 94.2mm, but still somewhat wetter than September.

The storm season picks up in October. Warmer temps, increased (and more reliable) moisture, with the occasional cold front or trough system passing through providing that nice little trigger for storm activity. There can be some nasty setups in October. Severe storms are guaranteed to occur in the local region, whether you are fortunate/unfortunate enough to get hit by one is another thing.

Edited September 25, 2012 by NorthNSW

[Styx]

Cold outbreak forecast for Saturday across SE Australia, as we move toward the middle part of spring.

Snow to 400m in Tasmania, 1000m in Victoria, with hail and thunder in suseptible places.

In the meantime, it will be mild in Tasmania ( low 20s ) and warm in Victoria ( mid to high 20s ) before temperatures take an earnest plunge, before bouncing back up next week to more typical values.

Tasmania: Forecast for the rest of Wednesday

Fine apart from early fog patches inland. Cold to locally very cold at first with patchy frost, then a cool to mild and partly cloudy day. Light to moderate northeast to northerly winds freshening.

Thursday 27 September

Areas of rain developing about the north and west later in the afternoon, with isolated thunderstorms possible about the north. Otherwise fine, although cloudy at times. Mild with moderate to fresh and locally gusty northerly winds.

Friday 28 September

Areas of rain, more patchy about the east and southeast, falling as snow to around 800 metres late. Cool to mild with moderate to fresh north to northwesterly winds tending colder northwest to westerly later in the evening.

Saturday 29 September

Scattered showers about the west and south, with isolated showers elsewhere until evening. Showers falling as snow to 400 metres. Cold with moderate to fresh west to southwesterly winds.

Edited September 26, 2012 by Styx

[Styx]

Aftermath of yesterday's cold change.

Snow lying at about 400m level in Hobart.

Has melted away fairly quickly today under the warming sun, as is the way this side of winter.

Edited September 30, 2012 by Styx

[NorthNSW]

Summary here for the past week (Date/Min/Max/24hrRainfall):

Sep 25th - 13.0ºC/23.5ºC - Nil

Sep 26th - 14.5ºC/24.5ºC - Nil

Sep 27th - 15.9ºC/24.2ºC - Nil

Sep 28th - 17.0ºC/25.1ºC - Nil

Sep 29th - 18.1ºC/25.0ºC - Nil

Sep 30th - 12.3ºC/21.8ºC - Nil

Oct 1st - 11.8ºC/21.6ºC - Nil

Past week:

A dry, mostly warm week. The cold front that came through later on the 29th did not bring any rain to here on the leeward side of the Great Dividing Range, but it did bring rain further south in the state and west of the ranges, which is not unusual for these kind of systems. Some light showers threatened on the 1st, but stayed offshore.

The weather for the wedding ceremony down on the Southern Highlands near Moss Vale / Bowral on the 28th (between Sydney and Canberra) was mostly cloudy but very warm (for 650m ASL in Sept), with a maximum of 26.5ºC. The cold front came through there mid afternoon on the 28th once we were inside at the reception, it cooled things down into the mid teens with rain developing later in the afternoon. It was a difficult drive back to Goulburn that night. Moderate to heavy rain, very strong wind gusting up to 80-90km/h at times, and holiday traffic. The speed limit on the freeway was 110km/h, but I spent most of the time doing between 70-90km/h. I could hear the rain and wind buffeting the motel's windows that night. It was quite cold and very windy the next morning in Goulburn, with a temp of around 9ºC with winds gusting to about 70km/h during mid-morning. Not the conditions a person from the subtropics is use to, lol.

The upcoming week (Oct 2nd to Oct 8th):

Today was a fine, mild and sunny day. An area of high pressure overhead and nearby in the early half of the week, then a ridge of high pressure later in the week should bring a continuation of fine, dry, and generally warm weather this week. A low is expected to deepen off the NSW central/south coast during Saturday night, but it is not expected to bring rain here. I guess there is a slight chance of a shower later in the week, as there is some level of uncertainty about what conditions the low will bring as it moves away from the coast.

~~~~~

The continuing very dry weather is starting to make its presence felt, with rural communities in the neighbouring Hastings Valley that rely on tank water needing to buy water (http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-10-01/water-demand-skyrocketing-after-dry-winter/4288976?&section=news). Good near-surface soil moisture should be protecting farmers from the recent dry weather, but if this unusually dry weather continues into December/January, it could really start to bite.

[Styx]

Melbourne was 31 degrees yesterday ( 11 above average ), only a handful of years since records began in 1855 have had a day this hot pre mid spring. Much cooler weather has arrived.

This morning it is 30 degrees in Sydney at 10am, very warm for this time of day, let alone for any month of the year.

The cool wind change which went thru Melbourne late yesterday will reach Sydney around lunchtime.

Edited October 5, 2012 by Styx

[NorthNSW]

Had our first 30+ day here since February 29th, reaching a top of 32ºC today according to the 3pm temp summary (the exact, non-rounded figure should appear tomorrow morning after 9am). It was already 26ºC here at 9am. The record October high of 39.2ºC was well and truly safe, but it was our hottest October day since 2005 (although if the final figure comes in as 32.4ºC, it would be our hottest October day since 1988 when the October record of 39.2ºC was set).

Very dry air as well, with relative humidity dropping down as low as 13% at the local weather stations in the region. Usually the relative humidity here in October is around 60-70%.

The NE'ly seabreeze has come in this afternoon, and "cooled" temps to around 27-28 degrees on the coastal fringe. The slow-moving southerly change is due here around 4am tomorrow morning (should get to Newcastle shortly). So, I look forward to an uncomfortable night's sleep... Had the fan on all last night, as it only dropped to 19.2ºC overnight.

[Styx]

Primeminister Julia Gillard was in Hobart yesterday. A bit windswept but looking good, as winds peaked at 100km/hr / 62mi/hr.

Usual fare for this time of the year:

BUREAU of Meteorology Hobart forecaster David James says spring in Tasmania is typically windy because of vigorous fronts which form as cold Southern Ocean air collides with warming air over the mainland.

The only upside to yesterday's buffeting was that conditions, while blowy, were unseasonally warm.

Hobart hit a high of 24C...

My local newspaper reported events, as usual, in the most theatrical of ways:

http://www.themercur...ar-stories.html

Edited October 5, 2012 by Styx

[Styx]

The NE'ly seabreeze has come in this afternoon, and "cooled" temps to around 27-28 degrees on the coastal fringe. The slow-moving southerly change is due here around 4am tomorrow morning (should get to Newcastle shortly). So, I look forward to an uncomfortable night's sleep... Had the fan on all last night, as it only dropped to 19.2ºC overnight.

Yes I feel for you, I can't tolerate overnight heat at all.

Have you got a ceiling fan or a portable? Suspect a ceiling fan doesn't make things too bad!

[NorthNSW]

Yes I feel for you, I can't tolerate overnight heat at all.

Have you got a ceiling fan or a portable? Suspect a ceiling fan doesn't make things too bad!

Have got a pedestal fan, ceiling fans, and air conditioning. Only use the air conditioning on the hottest/muggiest of days because it would be expensive to run day after day in the summery months. Usually use the ceiling fans, as they are both cheap and effective. In about 4 weeks, I will probably be sleeping with the ceiling fan on most nights, lol.

Daylight saving starts at 2am tomorrow morning in NSW, and we put our clocks forward one hour to 3am.

Sunrise this morning was at 5:18am (First light at about 4:50am ), and sunset this evening will be at 5:52pm. But tomorrow, things will be much better, sunrise will be at 6:17am, and sunset will be at 6:53pm.

Edited October 6, 2012 by NorthNSW

[NorthNSW]

I've been spending most of the day thinking it's Monday for some reason. Then realised this evening it was Tuesday, and remembered to pop on here before it ticks over to Wednesday!

Summary here for the past week (Date/Min/Max/24hrRainfall):

Oct 2nd - 12.0ºC/22.0ºC - Nil

Oct 3rd - 13.5ºC/24.1ºC - Nil

Oct 4th - 14.5ºC/26.0ºC - Nil

Oct 5th - 19.2ºC/32.2ºC - Nil

Oct 6th - 17.2ºC/25.2ºC - Nil

Oct 7th - 18.2ºC/22.0ºC - Nil

Oct 8th - 12.6ºC/23.0ºC - Nil

Past week:

An area of high pressure kept the region dry for most of this week. The high helped to push hot NW'lies from the interior along an approaching low pressure trough on the 5th, resulting in a hot and very dry day. The trough dissipated over far northern NSW on the morning of the 6th. Another low pressure trough over southern NSW developed into a cold front during the 6th, moving through here early in the morning on the 7th. An embedded low in the trough/frontal system, deepened dramatically as it moved off the NSW South Coast. Fine but windy weather persisted through the 7th. A weak trough developed over eastern NSW on the 8th, and combined with moderate E/SE'ly winds to produce several showers and thunderstorms about the region (remained dry here, most activity was offshore).

The upcoming week (Oct 9th to Oct 15th):

Today was a fine, partly cloudy though breezy day. A strong cold front will move into the southeast of Australia tomorrow. It is expected to bring unseasonably cold weather to most places across the southeast quarter of the continent. At present, snow is expected to fall on the highlands in NSW, Victoria and Tasmania. Possible sleet is forecast for the Granite Belt in far southern Queensland (about 28º30'S). In the west of the local region here, snow is expected to fall down to 1100m ASL on Friday.

A low pressure trough will approach the region tomorrow with a weak embedded low. There is the slight chance of an evening shower or storm tomorrow. Rain is expected to develop here early Thursday morning, and then clear that evening as the low pressure trough moves out to sea. The low pressure system will deepen off the NSW central coast later on Thursday.

Friday should be a fine and rather windy day (the showers whipped up by the low are predicted to stay just to the south and west of here). The winds should ease later on Friday and through Saturday as the low flies off to NZ. Saturday should be a fine day too.

A high will move into the southern Tasman on Sunday, and direct E/SE'ly winds onto the coast into Monday morning. In all likelihood it will remain fine, but there is the slight chance of a shower late Sunday / early Monday.

It should finish as a generally mild week overall (we are expected to be sheltered from most of the cool to cold weather along the coastal fringe of the north coast).

[❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️]

What is the furthest north snow has been recorded in Australia? What is the furthest north place to have a record min below 0C? Is there anywhere near sea level that has recorded a sub zero max or snow?

Thanks!

[Styx]

What is the furthest north snow has been recorded in Australia? What is the furthest north place to have a record min below 0C? Is there anywhere near sea level that has recorded a sub zero max or snow?

Thanks!

Sorry to be brief, ( don't usually have enough time on weekdays ), but I'll have a go at your questions!

Perhaps NorthNSW can offer some more detail

In regards to snow, snow has settled at a location in every Australian state and territory.

The furthest north was on the Clark range in the tropics ( 1270m/4200ft near Mackay, ( 21 degrees latitude ).

There was also an incident of snow (briefly ) settling at Uluru ( Ayers Rock ) Central Australia in the mid 1990s.

Snow will settle at sealevel in Tasmania at some location once every few years. No sealevel location in Tasmania however has recorded a sub zero maximum temperature. That naturally applies to the mainland aswell.

In regards to a minimum of 0 or below and furthest location north, would suggest it may well be in the central top half of the Northern Territory, desert inland during the dry season ( winter )

Rare snow info link: http://wikiski.com/wiki/index.php/Unusual_snow_events_in_Australia

[NorthNSW]

Styx has pretty much covered it all.

The Clarke Range about an hour's drive west of Mackay is the furtherest north that snow has been reported, which pretty much sits at 21ºS (quite remarkable, as it sits north of the Tropic of Capricorn). Mackay has a tropical climate, though it is pretty much on the most southern extent of the area considered to have a tropical climate. Go around 50-75kms further south and the climate changes rather abruptly to subtropical. I have been to the village of Eungella which is nestled in the Clarke Range (due to it's elevation, it has a subtropical climate), and it is a nice little area. Saw my first wild platypus there too.

I believe the furtherest north sub-zero minimum temp recorded is at Mount Elizabeth (546m) in the Kimberley Region of Western Australia. Mount Elizabeth is around 16º25'S. Several locations on the elevated Atherton Tablelands (centred around 17º15'S) to the west of Cairns/Innisfail have recorded sub-zero minimums (I have been to the Atherton Tablelands as well).

In Victoria, a reasonable number of locations have received snow to sea level but it is a very rare occurrence (though occurred as recently as 2005, see: http://www.bom.gov.a.../20050810.shtml).

There are reports of snow falling and settling in Sydney back around 1830s (think it was the 1830s), but it is treated with a fair amount of scepticism. Most likely an accumulation of small, soft hail. Showers and/or localised t'storms bringing accumulations of small hail in the wintry months are not uncommon along the NSW coast from around Sydney and southwards, and have been known to be mistaken by everyday folk as being 'snow'.

As far as I know, no location at/near sea level (<100m ASL) in Australia has recorded a sub-zero maximum (largely thanks to the moderating influence of the Southern Ocean). Unless you include Macquarie Island (54º30'S), firmly settled in the Furious Fifties and in the 'subantarctic'. (Macquarie Island climate for those interested: http://www.bom.gov.a...e/climate.shtml)

Edited October 10, 2012 by NorthNSW

[❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️]

Thanks for the replies guys!

The Christmas day 2006 snowfall must have been amazing given that it was summer!

Good Evening

[Styx]

What is the furthest north snow has been recorded in Australia? What is the furthest north place to have a record min below 0C? Is there anywhere near sea level that has recorded a sub zero max or snow?

Thanks!

It seems likely that Bushy Park ( near sealevel ) in Tasmania's Derwent Valley ( 65km/40miles inland from Hobart ) has recorded a sub zero maximum temperature in the past. This district is suspectible to day long fogs in the wintertime, following very low overnight temperatures, as cold air drains into the valley from the central plateau highlands.

The complete weather record for Bushy Park ( dating back to the 1870s I believe ) is not availble on the weather bureau's website, but on June 19 1992 a maximum of 0.0 is listed, following an overnight low of -4.9.

In Hobart on the 19th, it was 6.0 degrees maximum ( 6 below average ), and the capitals topography doesn't allow fogs to persist usually after mid morning - so - I am trusting that Bushy Park figure is reliable!

Red = Hobart Blue=Bushy Park

Derwent Valley Tasmania

Edited October 10, 2012 by Styx

[NorthNSW]

Unseasonal snow hits SA

There have been reports of light snow across a number of southern areas of South Australia.

Farmers in the agricultural areas also are welcoming rainfall that has boosted their crop prospects. Some grain growers say the falls have come too late for them, but crops in later districts will get the benefits. The highest measured fall in the state has been 26 millimetres at Kuitpo in the Mount Lofty Ranges. There have been 14 mm at Clare in the mid-north, 8 mm at Lameroo in the Murray Mallee and 11 mm at Keith in the south-east. Adelaide has had about 15 mm.

A maximum wind gust of 91 kilometres per hour was recorded at Edithburg on lower Yorke Peninsula.

Emergency volunteers have been called to about 80 incidents since the rough weather hit Adelaide late on Wednesday. Many of the problems have been fallen trees. At suburban Brighton, a car was crushed when a large shopping centre sign fell in high winds.

Locals at Hallett in the mid-north of the state, around Mount Lofty in Adelaide, Sevenhill in the Clare Valley and Mount Remarkable in the lower Flinders Ranges have reported light snowfalls.

Raelene Zanker, from Booleroo Centre, said she had lived in the region for half a century and not seen snow so late in the season.

"Going back I think it was in the '70s some time we had lots and lots of snow, but we haven't had anything like that for years now and we've never seen snow in October before, well not since I've been here anyway," she said.

The October freeze saw Mount Lofty's minimum temperature hit 0.4 degrees Celsius this morning. It got as low at 0.6 at Naracoorte and 1.1 at Mount Crawford.

(A couple of photos in the original article: http://www.abc.net.a...ross-sa/4306702)

~~~~~

Tom Daley is currently in Adelaide with the Junior Worlds Diving Competition. I'm sure it's currently reminding him of England, lol.

[Styx]

^ Certainly a standout event for October!

I did notice that Adelaide was 4.9 this morning ( 7 below average ), very close to their October record low from that 1970s site.

[NorthNSW]

Indeed Styx!

The article link I posted above has been progressively updated through the day, and it has now been called a 'once-in-century October snow' event for South Australia.

From the opening part of the updated article:

" Rare at any time, there has been October snow across some southern areas of South Australia. The weather bureau in Adelaide said the last reports of snowfall in the Adelaide and neighbouring Mount Lofty Ranges region in October were a century ago. "

The cold pool of air is now in western NSW. Broken Hill, White Cliffs and Wilcannia have had maximums of 10-11 degrees today. While it's not quite a record low max for these locations, it is very unusual, they usually average max temps around 28 degrees during October. At 1:30pm, it fell to 5.6ºC at White Cliffs during a light shower (falling from a 10.6ºC max at 9:56am).

It is in stark contrast to last week when on Friday, Broken Hill had a maximum of 34.8ºC and Wilcannia 37.9ºC, and on Saturday at White Cliffs where it got to 37.4ºC.

[NorthNSW]

For those that like videos, here's a summary from Ten News of the South Australian snowfalls:

http-~~-//www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aDkhWclPV8

The cold pool that affected South Australia bringing the above snowfalls and which is moving eastward through NSW is currently centred around the Cobar/Bourke area. It is expected to produce snowfall down to 900m early tomorrow morning on the mountains the west of here.

[NorthNSW]

Snow causes havoc across eastern Australia

Updated 43 minutes ago

About 470 properties in the Blue Mountains will remain without electricity overnight after a day of wild winds, rain and snow. At its height, snowfalls of 15 centimetres and wind damage cut roads and rail access to the upper Blue Mountains for more than six hours. The Bureau of Meteorology says snow falls have occurred right along the Great Dividing Range and as far north as Queensland's Granite Belt.

The wild weather also affected Sydney's metropolitan area, with Sydney Ferries suspending services between Manly and Circular Quay due to big swells. Commuters were still able to take the fast ferry or replacement buses. Parts of the NSW south coast were saturated with more than 300mm of rain, accompanied by eight-metre waves.

In the Blue Mountains, the State Emergency Service had to help ferry drivers to refuge from 300 cars stranded by the mountain road closures. But the SES's Jennifer Finlay says most of the 550 calls for help came from further to the south. "The Illawarra south coast got hit pretty hard with lots of trees down a bit of roof damage, fortunately nothing too severe," she said. Endeavour Energy reconnected more than 2,000 properties to power on Friday afternoon, but hundreds of outlying properties between Mount Victoria and Medlow Bath and in the Megalong Valley will not get power back until Saturday.

With temperatures predicted to get down to 3 degrees Celsius overnight, the company has urged people in areas where the power is out to check on neighbours who live alone. Blackheath resident Noelene Turner says she is staying in bed to keep warm. "I've got a little gas stove, I've filled up a few thermoses and sent them to the older women and other women who live alone nearby so at least they can have a cup of tea. It really is quite a desperate situation," she said.

Phil Campbell from the SES says they have received over 300 calls for help. "We've had calls for help that relate to trees and branches down, causing minor property damage," he said.

Two 18-year-old bushwalkers have been rescued from the Snowy Mountains after they set off an emergency beacon in Kosciuszko National Park on Friday morning. Four year 10 students and two teachers from Trinity Christian School in Canberra were also rescued by the SouthCare helicopter. They were snowed in while on a three-day hike for their Duke of Edinburgh Award in Namadgi National Park, south of Canberra.

The bureau says the unseasonal weather has been caused by a low-pressure system which is expected to move north throughout Friday. But bureau forecaster Ewen Mitchell says while the snowfall is unusual, it is not unheard of at this time of year. "I don't think there's been hugely heavy falls. [it's been] fairly widespread," he said. "It's certainly not record breaking in terms that it's happened before."

Snow has also fallen in Victoria, with a group of 11 students and three teachers from Mooroolbark Secondary College stranded near Licola in the state's east on Thursday night. The group was hiking in snow storms yesterday when the students developed hypothermia. Three students and two teachers were transported out this morning and the remaining are hiking out, with Ambulance Victoria expecting them to be on their way back to Melbourne on Friday afternoon.

In Queensland, the Granite Belt was also experiencing unusual spring weather. Ballandean resident Apolonia Behan says it is a beautiful sight. "If you can imagine rain but falling down a lot slower and seeing white flakes," she said. "When they drop to the ground it all melts because the ground is wet from rain and also it's too warm for the snow to stay as it is ... but it's like a lovely curtain."

(Linky: http://www.abc.net.a...stralia/4308904)

(There are pictures if you click on the link as well) (There is also a video there. I'm pretty sure it will play for international viewers considering it's the ABC and not a commercial TV station)

I was on the Southern Highlands two weeks ago for a wedding, had that wedding been held two weeks later I would've woken up to snow outside our accommodation that morning!

An impressive sight at Blackheath (about 1100m ASL) in the Blue Mountains behind Sydney (Photo from blackheathweather.com):

A picture from the mountain ranges to the west of here, on the Northern Tablelands between Guyra and Ben Lomond (150kms NW of here, about 1350m ASL) (Photo from australiansevereweather.com):

More Northern Tablelands photos in this public Facebook album: https://www.facebook...84443250&type=1

When I was living in Armidale for a couple of years and attending the University of New England as an internal (on-campus) student, I use to go to Guyra for little snowchases (it's about 300m higher than Armidale, so was more reliable for snow).

From the Northern Daily Leader (with some photos, if you follow the link):

Brrrr ... Jack Frost gives spring sunshine the boot in New England

IT WAS snowballs, beanies and a return to winter for the Northern Tablelands yesterday as a blanket of snow fell over Guyra and Glen Innes.

The main street of Guyra was covered in 8cm-deep snow after falls throughout Thursday night and yesterday morning, giving residents a welcome yet unseasonal morning surprise. With snowfalls heavy enough to bend tree branches and cover houses and farmland in a thick covering of white, Guyra residents reported cars pulling over and people emerging for friendly snowball fights in the main street.

Neil Walker from the Guyra Motor Inn said his overnight residents were quite excited about the return to winter, with a couple of snow-chasers coming all the way from Queensland. “They were quite excited. The lady was standing out there catching snowflakes in her pyjamas,†Mr Walker said. A small snowman also appeared in the middle of the motel’s lawn. Mr Walker said although the snow was a “noveltyâ€, he much preferred green grass this time of year.

Joining him was Uralla’s Darryl Carter, who got up at 6am to see heavy snow falling over his vineyards yesterday. “I don’t get excited about it anymore. I can remember it snowing on Christmas Day in Uralla in the 1970s,†Mr Carter said. In fact, it was just four years ago the Northern Tablelands received snow in October, with the Bureau of Meteorology reporting that Walcha and Guyra got a dusting in 2008.

Mount Kaputar National Park also received heavy falls, reporting cover as thick as 30cm at the top of the summit at Dawsons Springs.

While Armidale shivered through last night’s top of -4 degrees Celsius, the town received just a sprinkling of sleet which melted before it reached the ground. Tamworth and Gunnedah were positively balmy in comparison to their New England neighbours, registering 15 and 18 degrees respectively, while the Tablelands was at least five degrees chillier during the day.

The unpredictable spring weather has helped make October a month of highs and lows for the New England North West, with temperatures plunging by up to 14 degrees in just two days.

Glen Innes has had the most extreme weather variation. Just two days after major highways were closed due to spreading bushfires, snow covered the district, giving rural firefighters a temporary reprieve.

While some snow melted away by mid-morning due to rain and warmer daytime temperatures, heavier falls could last across the weekend. The bureau has warned of a heavy frost risk across the region.

Meanwhile, fire officials have warned that when the snow melts it could only take a couple of days for the potentially dangerous bushfire conditions to return. “The forest fire danger index for western parts of the Northern Tablelands is still high,†Northern Tablelands Rural Fire Service community safety officer Scott Keelan said. “There’s a high fuel load in the grasses and once the sun comes around and the snow dries up, it’s going to burn quite well.â€

While delighting some, the snowfalls proved a pain for others, as sheep graziers reported minor stock losses across the Northern Tablelands due to the icy conditions. Morning drivers were also affected as traffic slowed to a crawl in wet and icy conditions.

The infamous Devils Pinch stretch of the New England Highway south of Guyra was shut for a short time about 7am due to the possibility of black ice. New England highway patrol Sergeant Dave Bramble said police had a busy morning monitoring icy road conditions. “We had highway patrol cars all up and down the highway monitoring it and asking drivers to slow down,†Sergeant Bramble said.

Students excited by the prospect of a “snow day†holiday were disappointed after schools decided to remain open across the region, but did get a later class start time due to slow road conditions affecting several bus routes. Wytaliba Public School students got an early mark to enjoy the snow, with the small Glen Innes school choosing to shut its doors at 11am.

A Bureau of Meteorology spokesman said further snowfall was expected into last night. The spokesman said weather conditions across the North West Slopes and Plains and Northern Tablelands would be partly cloudy with scattered showers and falling snow above 900m.

The blankets and the brollies have been out again as the the New England North West swept back into cool weather this week, the result of a cold southerly front sweeping across Australia, plunging temperatures and bringing rain and storms across six states.

(Link:http://www.northernd...england/?cs=159)

Edited October 12, 2012 by NorthNSW

[Methuselah]

Thanks for that NorthNSW. It must have been a real treat for the kiddies!

[keithlucky]

More from Australia love seeing the Kangaroo hopping through the snow http://news.sky.com/world