Bundle up, winter is finally here! The polar vortex will bring a flurry of snow to some parts of Australia with temperatures about to plummet
- The alpine regions of Victoria and New South Wales will snow
- Snow will be light on Wednesday but will increase over the next few days
- Sydney was shrouded in fog for the second day in a row
A series of cold fronts are forecast to hit the east coast and bring a large amount of snow to the alpine regions.
Cooler conditions, arriving on Thursday, will be a welcome change after a rare patch of rain over NSW and ACT earlier in the week.
A series of cold fronts driving the change are expected to bring snow more than 50cm deep to the alpine regions of New South Wales and Victoria into next week.
Felix Levesque of weather zone He said the rain could cause the snow to melt before settling Thursday, but continued freezing conditions will improve snowfall later in the week.
Alpine regions (above) in Victoria and New South Wales and snow forecast this week
Some snow stations could see more than 50cm of snow in the next few days (Mount Hotham pictured)
“The bad news is that we have quite a bit of rain on the warmer side of the alpine regions on Wednesday. That rain will stay for the rest of the day and cause the snow to melt,” he told Daily Mail Australia.
“The heaviest rain falls over the north-eastern alpine region of Victoria and part of the alpine region of New South Wales.
“However, we do have a series of cold fronts in the next few days. Today will be the warmest day for those areas.’
Levesque said temperatures in the alpine regions will cool down during the week, creating perfect conditions for ski resorts in New South Wales and Victoria.
“Colder temperatures today will cause snow levels to drop,” he said.
‘Today’s snow level is about 2000 m. Snow is expected to fall to 1200m tomorrow, in line with many snow centers.
‘On Friday the level will drop closer to 1000m and possibly down to 700m on Saturday.
“This could cause snowflakes over the New South Wales tablelands that could possibly extend as far as the Blue Mountains, but that’s less likely.”
Temperatures are forecast to drop in the alpine regions later this week, with the possibility of snow to 700m.
Snow will settle in the alpine regions (above) from Thursday and snow is expected to fall as low as 1200m
Sydney residents woke up to a blanket of fog over the city on Wednesday for the second day in a row.
Photographs taken of the horizon show that the buildings disappeared under the cloud.
“The fog in Sydney right now looks like someone has put a blanket over the whole city,” one local tweeted.
A blizzard is forecast to hit the alpine regions on Thursday with up to 80cm of snow falling in the following days, the Perisher ski resort reported on its website.
The rain will persist through Wednesday with limited visibility, making conditions for snow sports less than ideal.
However, a fresh dump of snow will set up weekend skiers and snowboarders for a great weekend of powder.
A cold week is ahead for Canberra residents with daytime temperatures dipping to a high of 13C.
A frosty morning with a low of 1C is expected on Thursday.
The cold fronts that extend along the east coast will bring with them wind gusts of about 25 km / h.
The most powerful winds will arrive on the weekend with gusts of up to 40 km/h.
Sydney was shrouded in a blanket of fog for the second day in a row on Wednesday (pictured is the Sydney Harbor Bridge on Wednesday morning)
A cold, rainy week is forecast for Melbourne residents with daytime temperatures likely not to exceed 15°C over the next seven days.
The showers and persistent winds will remain constant in the coming days, with gusts of up to 45 km/h expected for Thursday.
Snow is forecast to fall at Mt Hotham Ski Resort on Wednesday night, preparing the resort for powder conditions over the weekend.
