However, determining the best single instances of snowfall – hereafter referred to as dumps, storms and blizzards (of Oz’s) – is a much more difficult task. Quantifying and then ranking the best seasons as a whole is relatively easy these days, thanks to the likes of The Snowy Hydro, which keeps records of annual snow depths. Some serious car accumulation at Falls Creek circa 2017 – Blizzard of Oz.
Until then I thought I’d go a step further than romanticisation and attempt to set the record straight and chronicle all the best snowfalls Australia’s ever seen, as accurately as possible (sans inflation and so far as recorded history permits). Boot deep turns become shin deep turns which turn into knee and thigh deep ones, heck, in 50 years when there mightn’t be any snow left, that shin deep day might as well have been overhead blower.Īs we approach the 2018 Australian ski season at a rapid pace, there’s no doubt we’re all wondering if and when we can look forward to similarly deep days this year.
What was a 25-30cm storm at the time is now fondly recollected at family dinners, in the rental shop and on the chairlift as a 50+cm dump. With time, even that bumper Australian snow dump you enjoyed 5, 10 or 15 years ago is a victim of it. The storm last month saw snow fall to low levels and dangerous driving conditions saw the roads closed to both Thredbo and Perisher for much of the day. The current storm will be more wide spread and snow is falling now across all the resort sin NSW and Victoria and we’ll know on Sunday whether it will be included when we re-run this story sometime in the future.
Unfortunately, that storm was just a little too far north for the big snow totals to reach Victoria, a reminder of the difference just 100 kilometres and a couple of degrees in wind direction can make. The snow was wet and heavy courtesy of a strong East Coast low sitting off the NSW coast, but the totals were the biggest seen at low levels since 2016. We all know this the snow this winter has been very ordinary, but ironically the storm that hit the NSW resorts on July 13/14 does fill the criteria with 50cms at 1400metres and 90+cms falling above 1800 metres in a 24-hour period. This is the stoke we all felt when last year’s biggest storm dropped 40- 90cms in two days. Richie Carroll, Thredbo, Saturday, August 9, 2019. Last winter wasn’t as consistent, but the second half was pretty good, largely thanks to the storm that hit on August 8/9 with 70cms falling overnight, the biggest storm of the year and one that would make the cut in this story. 2018 is remembered as a good winter with consistent snowfalls in July and August, but the biggest single storm that year saw 40-50cms drop in a 48-hour period on August 19/20 so doesn’t quite make. We published this story in June 2018, so it doesn’t include any storms from the past three winters, but there are a couple that could fit the bill. It started snowing early this morning, the latest forecast is calling 60 to 80cms across the Victorian and NSW Alps by Sunday and while it may not make it as one of the biggest snowfalls Australia’s ever seen we thought it’s a good excuse to run this story again. It looks like we’re on the eve of a decent snow storm with snow to low elevations, strong winds and blizzard conditions forecast from today through to Saturday. This shot was always making it in… It broke the internet during 2017’s Blizzard of Oz trilogy.