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Alps looking good after abundant July snow

Ben Domensino, Thursday July 20, 2017 - 14:19 AEST

Australia's alps have bounced back from a woeful start to the season, with today marking three consecutive weeks of snow gain.

The weekly snow depth measurement at Spencers Creek, located between Thredbo and Perisher in NSW, was 88cm today. This is a 29cm improvement from the same day last week and the third consecutive week with a net snow gain at the site.

The first three weeks of July have gone above and beyond to make up for the deficit of snow the alps experienced during June.

A period of unusually dry weather last month, driven largely by a dominance of high pressure over southern Australia and weak fronts, saw a measly 4cm of natural cover on the ground at Spencers Creek on June 29th. This was the second lowest depth for that point in the season in 26 years.

Things have certainly turned around now, with today's depth ranking as the best in three years for this point in July.

While the recent rate of snow accumulation has been a remarkable change from last month, it hasn't completely made up for the season's slow start. The average snow depth at Spencers Creek going into the fourth week of July is about 110cm, which is more than 20cm above what's on the ground at the moment.

A string of dry days and cold nights will enable artificial snowmaking to help ski resorts keep their existing cover on the ground tomorrow and through the weekend. There may even be a fresh dusting of natural snow on Sunday as cold front sweeps over the nation's southeast.

- Weatherzone

© Weatherzone 2017

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