AUSTRALIA – The Australian ski season has had a bit of a rough start, with natural snow remaining fairly lackluster throughout the country. But temperatures have reached significant lows, with some areas reaching the coldest degrees in several years.
According to Weatherzone, Mount Hotham reached a temperature of -8.3°C (17.06°F) Thursday morning, the coldest temperature recorded in the state of Victoria since 2018. At the same time, New South Wales’ Khancoban reached -3.8°C (25.16°F), the coldest they’ve seen in six years.
The cold did not bring any natural snow to the mountains, though an incoming storm could bring 5-10cm (~2-4 inches) of snow to the Australian Alps. Other minimums at several different ski resorts include -9.0°C (15.8°F) at Thredbo Village, -8.1°C (17.42°F) at Perisher Valley, and -4.5°C (23.9°F) at Falls Creek.
“With the Winter Solstice almost upon us, we’re feeling the effects of full on cold weather for the winter season enabling our snow making crews to go above and beyond with their snow making operations.” – Falls Creek Ski Lift Company Mountain Operations Manager John Palmer