2016 Ski Season to kick off with a powdery start?
Australia’s 2016 snow season is about to kick off on the Queen’s Birthday Weekend, but decent snow falls are yet to arrive. What’s the outlook for the season?
After the warmest autumn on record coming to a close, a decent cold front is finally sweeping through the south-east of the country, but will it be the start of the falls needed for a great opening weekend? Victoria’s alpine resorts have been treated to some small snow falls, as temperatures across the state fell to some of their coldest since last spring. Temperatures hovered around zero at the state’s ski resorts for much of last week, and Mount Buller received a light dusting of fresh snow, and flurries which saw snow accumulating on the upper mountain.
At Falls Creek, about 1cm of snow fell at the highest point in the village on Thursday, and about 5cm on the ski fields. The weekend brought a small amount even more of the white stuff, with estimates of between 8cm and 20cm at Falls Creek.
Weather forecasters are predicting decent snow falls, and 7 days straight of it. Jane Bunn, meteorologist, is an expert when it comes to snowfalls, and her snow forecasts will recommence on Friday 10th June, ready for opening weekend.
Jane says on her website that it all comes down to a simple equation. “To make it snow you must have: low pressure, moisture and cold enough temperatures. We can guess the moisture part of the equation for the season ahead by looking far away from the alpine areas, and considering the balance of warm and cool water in both the Pacific and Indian Ocean”.
Keep up to date on her forecasts here.
