Polar Blast Hits Australian Alps; They Said... + Prepare For Less

The POOR TIMES are returning...

Polar Blast Hits Australian Alps

Thermometers in Eastern Australia took a further step down Thursday, with the Aussie Alps posting freezing lows.

The combination of extremely dry and cold air, clear skies, and light winds overnight caused temperatures to plummet across the Australian Alps and surrounding areas.

Temperatures in the highland areas of both Victoria and New South Wales sank below -8C (17.6F), marking some of the lowest readings in years.

Mount Hotham hit a frigid -8.3C (17.1F), the lowest temperature recorded in the state of Victoria for 6 years. While in New South Wales, Khancoban equaled its lowest temperature in six years with a nippy -3.8C (25.2F).

Other notable minimum temperatures on Thursday included the -9C (15.8F) at Thredbo Village, the -8.9C (16F) at Cooma Airport, the -8.1C (17.4F) at Perisher Valley, the -4.5C (23.9F) at Falls Creek, and the -4.4C (24.1F) at Omeo

Despite it being too dry for natural snow, the frigid conditions created the perfect setup for snowmaking.

"With the Winter Solstice almost upon us, we're feeling the full brunt of winter's cold, enabling our snowmaking crews to excel in their operations," said John Palmer, Falls Creek Ski Lift Company Mountain Operations Manager.

The Australian Alps are forecast natural snow now through Saturday as lingering polar air combines with incoming moisture.

The benchmarks continued to fall at lower elevations and all Thursday, both monthly and even all-time records. I've listed a handful below.