Weather News

Snow depth nears one metre

Ben Domensino, Thursday July 12, 2018 - 09:39 AEST

The natural snow depth in Australia's alps is getting close to one metre in some places.

Snowy Hydro reported a natural snow depth of 94.7cm at Spencers Creek on Thursday 12th July. This is a 19cm increase from the middle of last week and a new high point for 2018.

Based on historical records stretching back to the 1950s, the average snow depth at Spencers Creek in the middle of July is around one metre.

The earliest date that a measurement above one metre has been recorded at Spencers Creek was 148.8cm on May 9th 1960. At the other end of the scale, the 2006 and 1982 snow seasons didn't feature any readings above one metre at the site.

The peak snow depth in Australia's alps typically occurs in late August or early September, although it can vary quite a bit from year to year. The peak depth during 2017 was in late September and in 2016 it didn't happen until October.

Looking ahead, a pool of cold air will cause light snow showers in the alps on Thursday and Friday, before dry weather returns on the weekend. A pair of cold fronts are likely to bring follow-up falls at the start of next week, possible nudging the natural snow base above one metre for the first time this season.

- Weatherzone

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