Latest news with #blizzard
The Guardian
24-06-2025
- Climate
- The Guardian
Australia's east coast to shiver through cold nights as forecast warns of damaging winds
Australia's east coast is bracing for chilly nights through to the weekend as a cold front moves through parts of New South Wales and Victoria. NSW and the ACT were expecting snowfall on the southern ranges to areas above 1,100 metres on Tuesday evening, with blizzard conditions forecast to develop across alpine areas in Victoria overnight. The Bureau of Meteorology forecast areas of frost through the high country in Victoria and NSW and other parts of both states by Wednesday. 'It'll get a good 2C to 6C below average for most of NSW and Victoria, and those colder temperatures will extend inland into southern Queensland,' said Daniel Hayes, a community information officer at the Bureau. Residents in regional NSW experienced freezing temperatures on the weekend, with Goulburn dipping as low as -10C on Saturday and -7.8C on Sunday, and Cooma reaching a minimum of -8.6C on Saturday and -10C on Sunday. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email The Bureau issued severe wind warnings for the coming days, particularly for high country areas in Victoria and NSW that would see 'damaging wind gusts', Hayes said. Angus Hines, a senior meteorologist at the Bureau, said wind warnings for Victoria were 'almost everywhere on and south of the mountain ranges'. 'For Tasmania, [it's] just the north-east coast, as well as in the Bass Strait, and for NSW and the ACT, the warning area covers most of the mountain ranges,' he said. In these areas, the Bureau warned that wind gusts could reach up to 120km/h. 'For South Australia we're looking at damaging winds for parts of the Yorke Peninsula around Adelaide, the Mount Lofty Ranges, Kangaroo Island and the south-east,' Hines said. Cold nights and frost are expected as winds ease later in the week. 'We will see frost fairly widespread across Victoria, NSW and into southern and central parts of Queensland by around Thursday and Friday,' Hayes said. Below-average temperatures and frost will extend into southern inland parts of Queensland, with overnight lows forecast between -2C and 2C. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion Daytime temperatures this week are expected to be slightly warmer, and return to 'much closer to the average across most of the eastern parts of the country', Hayes said. Melbourne is forecast to reach a maximum of 11C on Wednesday, 13C on Thursday and 14C on Friday, with similar highs of 14C and 13C expected for the weekend. A top of 18C is forecast in Sydney on Wednesday, with 16C predicted on Thursday, 17C on Friday, 18C on Saturday and 19C on Sunday. Meanwhile, Brisbane will enjoy much warmer weather, with a high of 23C forecast for Wednesday, 20C on Thursday and an average high of 21C from Friday across the weekend. 'It's still winter, of course, and still June, so temperatures will be cool to cold depending on where you are,' Hayes said. 'Obviously, around the higher country, you should still expect to see it be quite cold even when we are hitting averages.'
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Aussies brace for ‘pretty wild' weather
Ski resorts are in for 'pretty wild' weather that could halt ski lifts and bring about blizzards as other parts of the country brace to shiver through temperatures in the negatives. Major ski resorts can expect to record between 30mm and 5mm of rain in the coming days followed by 30cm and 60cm of snow. Sky News Weather senior meteorologist Rob Sharpe said the 'wild' weather could bring about blizzards and grind ski lifts to a halt. 'It's going to be pretty wild up there, essentially over the next 48 hours,' Mr Sharpe said. '(There could be a) considerable time where the ski lifts stops spinning due to the windy weather. 'But it's going to be great skiing conditions from Thursday with all the fresh snow on the ground.' Areas in the country's southeast are also set to shiver through plummeting temperatures this week, with Tumbarumba in NSW set to drop to -5C on Friday before a slight increase to -3C through the weekend. Areas like Wangaratta in Victoria can also expect cold minimum temperatures of -2C heading into the weekend. Mr Sharpe said some of the coldest temperatures were expected on Wednesday, particularly in Victoria, NSW, Tasmania and the ACT, as a complex low pressure system with a series of cold fronts moved through the southeast. Southern inland NSW and the ACT are set to experience the 'most remarkable' cold weather on Wednesday, with the ACT in for one of the coldest days this year, a forecast maximum of 8C. 'It's going to be another very cold day for Canberra … in most year's there's only a few days below 10C each winter,' Mr Sharpe said. 'It's going to be one of those days on Wednesday.' Sydney can expect showers and a low of 13C on Tuesday before dropping to 11C on Wednesday. Melbourne is in for a week of showers, plummeting from a minimum temperature of 12C to 7C over Tuesday and Wednesday. Brisbane is also tipped for a week of rain, with minimum temperatures expected to stay around 15C before dropping to a respective 11C and 9C on Thursday and Friday. Perth is tipped for minimum temperatures around 6C this week, while Adelaide is expected to experience showers with minimum temperatures fluctuating between 6-9C over the course of the week. Hobart's Tuesday minimum temperature of 10C is expected to drop to 4C by Thursday, with showers tipped through the week. A minimum temperature of 1C is forecast in Canberra on Wednesday before -3C minimums on Thursday and Friday. Darwin appears to be the place to be this week, with minimum temperatures in the low 20s through much of the week with a bit of sun expected.
News.com.au
23-06-2025
- Climate
- News.com.au
‘Pretty wild' weather could halt ski lifts, bring on blizzards at major resorts
Ski resorts are in for 'pretty wild' weather that could halt ski lifts and bring about blizzards as other parts of the country brace to shiver through temperatures in the negatives. Major ski resorts can expect to record between 30mm and 5mm of rain in the coming days followed by 30cm and 60cm of snow. Sky News Weather senior meteorologist Rob Sharpe said the 'wild' weather could bring about blizzards and grind ski lifts to a halt. 'It's going to be pretty wild up there, essentially over the next 48 hours,' Mr Sharpe said. '(There could be a) considerable time where the ski lifts stops spinning due to the windy weather. 'But it's going to be great skiing conditions from Thursday with all the fresh snow on the ground.' Areas in the country's southeast are also set to shiver through plummeting temperatures this week, with Tumbarumba in NSW set to drop to -5C on Friday before a slight increase to -3C through the weekend. Areas like Wangaratta in Victoria can also expect cold minimum temperatures of -2C heading into the weekend. Mr Sharpe said some of the coldest temperatures were expected on Wednesday, particularly in Victoria, NSW, Tasmania and the ACT, as a complex low pressure system with a series of cold fronts moved through the southeast. Southern inland NSW and the ACT are set to experience the 'most remarkable' cold weather on Wednesday, with the ACT in for one of the coldest days this year, a forecast maximum of 8C. 'It's going to be another very cold day for Canberra … in most year's there's only a few days below 10C each winter,' Mr Sharpe said. 'It's going to be one of those days on Wednesday.' Sydney can expect showers and a low of 13C on Tuesday before dropping to 11C on Wednesday. Melbourne is in for a week of showers, plummeting from a minimum temperature of 12C to 7C over Tuesday and Wednesday. Brisbane is also tipped for a week of rain, with minimum temperatures expected to stay around 15C before dropping to a respective 11C and 9C on Thursday and Friday. Perth is tipped for minimum temperatures around 6C this week, while Adelaide is expected to experience showers with minimum temperatures fluctuating between 6-9C over the course of the week. Hobart's Tuesday minimum temperature of 10C is expected to drop to 4C by Thursday, with showers tipped through the week. A minimum temperature of 1C is forecast in Canberra on Wednesday before -3C minimums on Thursday and Friday. Darwin appears to be the place to be this week, with minimum temperatures in the low 20s through much of the week with a bit of sun expected.
ABC News
10-06-2025
- Climate
- ABC News
NSW Snowy Mountains hikers warned after couple's blizzard rescue
Authorities have urged people hiking in the Snowy Mountains to monitor weather forecasts after a couple was rescued in blizzard conditions over the King's Birthday long weekend. Emergency services were called on Saturday morning to reports a man and woman were stranded in the snowstorm on the Kosciuszko Walking Trail, below Mount Carruthers. NSW Police officer Andrew Woods said the operation to rescue the 31-year-old man and 28-year-old woman took more than 20 hours due to poor conditions. "The high winds, the snow was falling, there was a lot of snowfall over that time," Acting Inspector Woods said. An alpine rescue crew, which included NSW Police and State Emergency Service members, set out on foot before harsh conditions set in just after midday. "They were forced to turn around and disengage the search due to the white-out and weather conditions," Inspector Woods said. Rescuers found the couple after midnight on Sunday, guiding them to the command post at Charlotte Pass about 4am, more than 20 hours after the original call for help was sent. According to the Bureau of Meteorology, temperatures reached as low as -2.7 degrees at Perisher Valley when the couple was stranded between Saturday and Sunday. No injuries have been reported. The couple had set off on a hike on Friday evening, with "reasonable equipment" before setting up camp in harsh conditions when their tent poles became damaged. "They didn't consider the conditions that were coming and unfortunately set up in probably not the best location," Inspector Woods said. The couple were not carrying a personal locator beacon and contacted authorities through a mobile phone. Inspector Woods said it was a timely reminder to take caution in the alpine region during winter. "If you know bad weather is coming maybe reconsider the need to go camping or hiking in those conditions," Inspector Woods said. The NSW snow season officially started at the weekend, with some resorts receiving 65 centimetres of snow across the three days. Emergency services had to rescue three men on Tuesday last week who were caught in a snowstorm at Seaman's Hut on the Kosciuszko Park Main Range. Police said the trio were not dressed for the conditions, had not filled out a trip intention form and were not carrying enough water or a personal locator beacon. Across the border in Victoria, a major rescue operation was conducted on Monday after several cars and two hikers became stuck at Mount Hotham. A vehicle also needed rescuing from the snow in NSW on Saturday morning. Acting Inspector Woods said it was crucial that people knew whether their vehicles are equipped to drive in alpine conditions. "Carry snow chains or [make sure] you've got appropriate tyres," he said. Snowy Mountains SES commander Malika Bailey said people were slowly becoming more aware of snow safety messaging. "Prepare, have a good plan in place and maybe a plan B as well in case if there is a problem. "We all get caught from time to time."
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Miracle after man, woman lost in blizzard
A pair of hikers have been rescued from a dangerous blizzard in the shadow of Australia's tallest mountain, with shocking footage showing the treacherous conditions they faced. The 31-year-old man and 28-year-old woman became stranded in a blizzard below Mount Carruthers, about 3km from Mount Kosciuszko, on Saturday, with rescue efforts hampered by a 'white out' blizzard and strong winds. Alpine rescue staff from the SES and police had gone out to help the pair, along with paramedics and the police rescue squad. About midday on Saturday, the rescue party got within 1.2km of the stranded bushwalkers, but the extreme conditions forced them to turn back. Specialist emergency services were then forced to take over the search, and were finally able to reach the pair, who were unharmed, in the early hours of Sunday. About 10.30pm the specialist alpine police and SES crews hiked to the stranded pair. Footage released by police shows at least nine people trudging through darkness, as wind drives snow sideways. Just after midnight Sunday, the pair were escorted to a makeshift camp set up by rescuers, but the group had to wait there again as the Snowy River rose, and more strong winds and heavy snowfall inhibited their descent. Everybody got off the mountain about 4am Sunday, police said. The incident comes as the ski season officially kicks off in Australia's alpine regions. Monaro police Acting Inspector Andrew Woods said bushwalkers need to be prepared and should consult checklists such as the Think Before Trek guide. 'As we move into the snow season, it's vital that Kosciusko National Park users are properly prepared before venturing into alpine regions. 'It's highly recommended that park users monitor weather forecasts closely and continually as conditions change quickly. 'The use of the online National parks and Wildlife Services Trip Intention Forms and personal locator beacon is strongly encouraged.' The ski resorts at Mount Kosciuszko have received up to 30cm of snow since Saturday - the official start of ski season in Australia. In Victoria, more than 20 people became stranded in their cars about 10.50pm on Saturday near Mount Hotham. The convoy was snowed-in overnight into Sunday, remaining stuck for about 19 hours as more than 50cm of snow fell. A man in his 40s had minor injuries after his vehicle rolled, and a fire truck became stuck after being deployed to help. Rescue crews rode snowmobiles into the Blue Rag Range Track, near Dargo High Plains Road, with People in the stranded vehicles had food, water and protection from the elements, emergency services said.
