Summer snow flurries hit Aus
2010-01-18 13:41
Canberra - Australia is following its second-hottest year on record with extraordinary snow flurries in its south-eastern alpine region, where some towns have recorded their first-ever summer snowfalls.
Australia's temperatures during the summer months of December through February can be uncomfortably hot even on its highest peak, Mount Kosciuszko, which stands a modest 2 228m above sea level.
Snow fell to 900m above sea level on Monday in parts of New South Wales and Victoria states, Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Jane Golding said.
"Any time of year, it's unusual to have snow down that far," she said.
Golding said a cold front had brought frigid air from the Antarctic Ocean to southeast Australia. Normal summer temperatures are expected to return to the region on Wednesday.
The town of Bombala in New South Wales, east of Kosciuszko, recorded its first summer snow since the bureau began keeping records there in 1965, Golding said.
The town of Cooma, also in New South Wales but north of Kosciuszko, recorded its first summer snow since records were first kept in 1973.
Cooma resident Krystal Pernitsch said the wind chill factor made Monday's high temperature of 15°C feel like 9°C.
"It's a bit of a shock to the system after last week," when the mercury reached 37°C, she said.
The unseasonable snowfalls were not heavy enough to cause major disruptions.
Tourists rented ski clothing from the Threbdo ski resort to climb Kosciuszko, resort spokesperson Alison Chilcott said.
"It was a big difference from last Monday, when people were riding the chair lift in shorts and flip-flops," Chilcott said. Snow fell for more than three hours in Thredbo but quickly melted, she said.
The Bureau of Meteorology released a report two weeks ago that found 2009 was Australia's second-hottest year since reliable records were first kept in 1910 and ended the hottest decade on record. Australia's hottest year was 2005.
- AP