Snow in Australia

Snow in Australia is very rare at sea level, but is common on the highlands of the southeast, in the states of Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania and in the Australian Capital Territory.

Snow falls with some regularity above 900 metres on the Great Dividing Range (Snowy Mountains and Australian Alps), seldom as far north as Darling Downs in southernmost Queensland and in isolated parts of South Australia and Western Australia, but outside these areas, snow is an extremely rare occurrence.

There is a regular snow season in several areas which have seasonal ski tourism industries, such as Thredbo, Cabramurra, Mount Buller and Perisher Ski Resort in the Great Dividing Range – These feature extensive, well-developed ski fields which are a few hours' drive from Melbourne and Sydney.

New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory
Snowy populated areas in New South Wales towns include, Oberon in Central Tablelands, averaging at 11.6 days, and Nimmitabel in southern New South Wales, averaging 8.0 snowy days. There is regular snowfall in the cities of Orange in New South Wales, at 6.5 days annually, Moreover, there are many smaller towns on the west of Great Dividing Range that receive occasional to frequent seasonal snowfalls (4–8 days), such as Newbury, Khancoban, Crookwell, Cooma, Jindabyne, Batlow, Taralga and Bombala. Light snow generally falls once every few winters in the country's capital Canberra and in Goulburn in the Southern Tablelands.

In the Blue Mountains, in towns such as Katoomba, Bathurst, Medlow Bath, Wentworth Falls, Leura, Mount Victoria, Blackheath and Lithgow, three to four snowfalls per year are recorded, but snow is relatively uncommon there due to the rain shadow effect on the eastern side of the Great Dividing Range. It is extremely rare to see snow below Lawson. Snow falls occasionally in Yass in the Southern Tablelands, but is usually light, though heavy snowfalls do occur on the hills to the southwest around Wee Jasper. In the Southern Highlands, the last significant snowfall occurred in Berrima, Bowral and Mittagong in July 2015. In Robertson, the last significant snowfall occurred in 1947, where the Macquarie Pass roadway was covered in dusting of snow. The last significant snowfall in Cowra, a town in the Central West of the New South Wales, occurred in 2015.

In northern New South Wales, snow is recorded once or twice every few years in Guyra, Armidale, Glenn Innes in Northern Tablelands, and rather scantily, in Nundle (near Tamworth in New England). Going further inland, in Gunnedah, a town in the North West Slopes, the most recent snowfall occurred in 1984. In Dubbo, in the Orana region, it last snowed in July 1951 and 1920.

West of the Great Dividing Range, particularly in the South West Slopes, snow is observed more frequently and to much lower altitudes than on the eastern side (even Parkes, Forbes and Wagga Wagga in the Riverina have recorded snow, although still being a rare occurrence); the lowest recorded snowfall in New South Wales fell to an altitude of just 165 metres in Albury, most recently in July 1966.

Victoria and Tasmania
The isolated East Gippsland locality of Bendoc averages 14.7 snowy days per annum, Trentham in west central Victoria averages 7.8 days per annum on which snow falls and Omeo at 4.7 days; while Aberfeldy in West Gippsland averages 32.5 snowy days per annum, making it the snowiest proper town in Australia. It snows around once a year in Ballarat in southern Victoria and Beechworth in the north, though it is more rare in Bendigo. In the high Victorian country, Bogong receives 5.7 snow days per year, with Tolmie also receiving moderate falls every winter. Hamilton and Horsham in Victoria have recorded significant snowfalls in 1882 and 1910.

In Tasmania, 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.

Alpine areas
In Tasmania, mountainous areas receive snowfall above ~1,000 metres every year, and due to cold air from Antarctica, this level frequently reaches 800 m, and more at times 600 or 400 metres. Mount Wellington in Tasmania is frequently covered by snow, sometimes even in summer, where it receives 57.3 days of snow annually. Lake St Clair, Mount Barrow and Liawenee in the Central Highlands feature 23.1, 27.1 and 51.5 snow days a year, respectively.

In the Victorian Alps, Mount Buffalo Chalet receives 26.0 snow days and Mount Hotham Alpine Resort receives an average of 66.1 snowy days annually. Mount Buller receives 67.6 snowy days annually, the second greatest figure for any mainland Australian site (after Spencers Creek). Falls Creek Alpine Resort features 61.2 days of snow, annually. The Dandenong Ranges receive light to moderate snowfalls a few times in most years, frequently between late winter and late spring.

In New South Wales, the elevated regions of the Snowy Mountains experience an alpine climate, where the areas above 1400 m are subject to a consistent heavy winter snowpack. Snow normally falls to around 600 m in most winters, and can occur as low as 300 m on the windward west side of the Snowies (on the South West Slopes). Kiandra, Cabramurra and Perisher Valley, which are ski resorts in the Snowies, receive an average of 47.5, 53.2 and 60.2 snowy days annually, respectively. In the Australian Capital Territory, Namadgi National Park, Mount Gingera and Mount Ginini in the Brindabella Range see regular snowfall, with Mt. Gingera being the most prominent snow-covered peak to be observed from Canberra in winter.

Sea level snowfall
Snow at sea level is a rare occurrence in mainland Australia, but is more occasionally recorded in western Tasmania (such as in Strahan) where snowfalls at sea level can occur nigh to annually during the winter months; in the extreme event of November 2021, snow was recorded to sea level on Bruny Island. Snow is extremely rare on the eastern coast of Tasmania at sea level due to the area being leeward of the snow-bearing westerlies.

Launceston receives snowfall in the rare occasion, with snow falling in 1951, 1986, 2015 and 2020. Dover, a coastal town in the southern fringe of Tasmania, features 2.3 snow days per year. Snow is rare in the southernmost capitals like Melbourne and Hobart, falling less than once every decade, and in the other capitals it is unknown. In Hobart CBD, the last major snowfalls occurred in 2015, 1986 and 1921. Snow at sea level in Melbourne last occurred in August 2005, in the Melbourne's southern suburbs near Mornington Peninsula. Though Melbourne CBD has not recorded snow since 1986.

In Sydney, snowfall was last reported on 28 June 1836, where British settlers in Hyde Park woke up to snow "nearly 1 inch deep" – However, after a fall of graupel in July 2008, the Bureau of Meteorology doubted the 1836 snow account, stating that observers in that era lacked the technology to distinguish snow from soft hail. Furthermore, melting snow (or sleet) was observed in the Sydney area in 1951 and 1986, though the Bureau doubted that it was "true" snow.

South Australia and Western Australia
Snow has fallen in the hill suburbs of Adelaide (Adelaide Hills), with the last major snowfall in July 1951, and Perth (Perth Hills around Kalamunda, Roleystone and Mundaring, with the most recent snowfall occurring in 1968 and in 1956). In Mount Gambier, the last time it snowed was in 1951 and 1932. In Flinders Range, snow has been recorded in the Wilpena Pound and at Blinman, with the last significant snowfall being recorded in 1995.

In Western Australia, Stirling Range (near Albany) records some snow, as it is the only mountain range far enough south and sufficiently elevated. More rarely, snow can fall on the nearby Porongurup Range, with the last significant falls in October 1992 and June 1956. The most widespread low-level snow in Western Australia occurred on 26 June 1956 when snow was reported in Wongan Hills and Salmon Gums.

Queensland and Northern Territory
In the Northern Territory, light snow last fell in Uluru on 11 July 1997, and near Alice Springs on at least one occasion.

Darling Downs and the Granite Belt in southeastern Queensland occasionally receive snowfall in winter, with heavy falls being recorded in 1960, 1974, 1984, 2007 and 2015. Snow has been reported on the higher parts of Toowoomba on several occasions, with the recent event being in July 2015. In 1965, snow fell as far north as Eungella, near Mackay in tropical Queensland. Extreme snow events have also produced snow as far north-west as Longreach in Queensland.

The frequency and intensity of such events in southern Queensland have been decreasing significantly over the past 40 years and the most northerly occurrence of snow in this time frame has been the Bunya Mountains in southern Queensland, where light snowfall occurs every few years in some occasions. In Stanthorpe, light snow is occasionally recorded, with the most significant snowfall in over 30 years occurring on 17 July 2015, where 8 cm fell there and nearby areas that day. Ballandean in south-east Queensland also snow on that day.

Climate statistics
The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), and Southern Annular Mode (SAM) are all the primary drivers for snow in Australia, where there is a strong reduction in snow cover in winter during years of El Niño or positive SAM phase.

The Australian Alps region receives a yearly average of between 1,778 mm to 3,810 mm of snow during winter. In 1973 temperatures remained too warm, while in 1982 it was too dry for much of a snow season. However, some other years have abundant snow – the Bureau cites 1981 as an example. The unpredictability of Australian snow conditions was highlighted in 2006 when severe drought and a poor snow season gave way to a "White Christmas" and abundant snow falls in the alpine regions of New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania and even a low altitude snow fall on 25 December in the Dandenong Ranges on Melbourne's north-eastern fringe.

Low altitude and often dry climate; as well as seasonal (early spring) dust storms in the Simpson Desert depositing red dust on the ranges (causing less UV reflection and therefore faster melting) keep the snow season relatively short (June-Oct). 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 New South Wales, a heavy natural snow season can see a base of up to 3.6 metres in August, at an elevation of 1830 m at Spencer's Creek, (near Charlotte Pass). Typically, depths will be lower than this.

Climate change
Climate change is predicted to substantially reduce natural snowfall and opportunities for snowmaking at Australian alpine resorts, representing a threat to the viability of Australia's ski industry. Australia's ski resorts are located near the top of some of the highest mountains in Australia, and there is therefore little scope to relocate to higher, colder areas if the existing ski fields become too warm.

The snow season in the country exhibits evidential year-to-year variability. However, observations in 2024 show a declining trend in maximum snow depth within the past 70 years with a downward tendency of about 0.4-0.6 cm per year since 1954. This is a result of temperatures being on the rise and decreasing precipitation, mostly caused by increases in worldwide greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, climate models predict more declines in snow cover in the future. 2023 featured a weak snow season owing to the remarkably warm and dry weather conditions from June to September.

Since 1950, the Australian Alps annual average temperature has risen by around 1.4 degrees Celsius, with the annual precipitation being decreased by around 140 mm, which resulted in decreased snow depth, area and duration. By around 2050, in Victoria, peak snow depths at Falls Creek and Mount Hotham would decrease 30-70% for a low emissions scenario and 45-90% for a high emissions case.