Arabic version: تساقط ثلوج ربيعية في جنوب شرق أستراليا

According to The Guardian, an unseasonal cold blast brought snow to alpine areas of New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania, while temperatures fell sharply across Australia’s south-east. Thredbo, Perisher and Mount Hotham recorded snowfall, and snow also fell on Kunanyi/Mount Wellington in Hobart.

The Bureau of Meteorology had forecast the snow. While the spring falls are uncommon, they are not unprecedented: many of the places affected in the previous 24 hours also recorded snow in November 2022. The conditions prompted social-media posts from people reacting to snow arriving in November.

At Thredbo, retail manager Madeleine McVie posted on Instagram on Saturday afternoon that it was “springtime in Australia, in November, and it’s snowing”, adding that it was “fully snowing”. On Sunday morning, she posted another clip showing her riding empty chairlifts through the park as snowfall continued. In Tasmania, Kingston Crows cricket club shared an image of Kingston Beach Oval coated in hailstones.

The BoM said cold air moving north from towards Antarctica was behind the wintry conditions. South-westerly winds also lowered apparent, or “feels like”, temperatures. At midday, Adelaide, Melbourne, Hobart, Canberra and Sydney all felt cooler than 13C. Adelaide reached 17.5C but felt like 12.3C, while Canberra’s maximum of 12.9C felt like 5.3C. Brisbane, Perth and Darwin were in the 20s or 30s. Warmer weather is forecast for Monday, with every capital city expected to reach at least 20C by Tuesday.

The cold spell could be among the year’s last, with the BoM, the UN and other bodies warning about the likely effects of a supercharged El Niño. The southern hemisphere summer is predicted to be hotter and drier, increasing wildfire and drought risks in Australia and southern Africa.