Winter is here, and while snow is not uncommon on the top ski resorts, what might surprise you is it has snowed in every Australian state and territory, and most of our capitals.
Falls in Sydney? Not since 1836, despite some rumours. What about Adelaide? Brisbane? Uluru?
Here are some of the more surprising locations outside the Australian Alps that have seen snow, and whether stories of falls in some of our major cities are actually just white lies.
Queensland
The Granite Belt and higher ranges near the NSW border are the only regions of Queensland that regularly see snow – a light dusting each year or two.
Occasionally, the region is blanketed by a moderate fall, most recently in July 2015, and on the odd occasion, including in July 1984, snow will spread further north to around Toowoomba.
The state’s most extraordinary snowfall came in July 1965 at Dalrymple Heights, which is 65km west of Mackay.
This is the only tropical snowfall location on record in Australia.
There have been several unconfirmed reports of snow falling in Brisbane during the 20th century, including in 1984 and 1958.
The minimum temperature recorded during these events was well above 5°C, indicating the snow was most likely mistaken for small hail or sago, or possibly just a few melting flakes mixed in with rain.
A more plausible snowfall in Brisbane occurred on 27 July 1882.
The nearby town of Clifton – at an elevation of just above 400m – observed two inches of snow on the ground, which suggests the reported snow in the Brisbane Courier newspaper was accurate.
New South Wales
Australia’s highest mountains lie in southern NSW and snow will generally cover the alpine region for at least four months each year.
Outside of the ski resorts, several snowfalls each year will also reach subalpine stretches of the southern and central ranges, along with the Barrington Tops.
A dusting of snow also reaches the higher northern ranges at least once a year and occasionally snow descends the Great Divide to the western slopes and plains.
NSW has a snow advantage over other southern states as numerous large towns lie high enough on the tablelands to see at least one snowfall per year, including the cities of Orange, Lithgow, and Armidale.
Snow along the NSW ranges can be heavy and numerous events through the 19th and 20th centuries dumped around half a metre, including across the Blue Mountains just west of Sydney.
One of the state’s most unusual falls happened in July 1900, when 25cm was reported at Forbes, at an elevation of just 245m, and nearly 1m fell around Bathurst and the Blue Mountains.
There are numerous accounts of snowflakes in Sydney, but the only confirmed settled snowfall occurred way back in 1836.
Eyewitness reports from the time are supported by the weather observations in The Sydney Morning Herald, which state “snow” as the observed weather at 6am on Tuesday 28 June.
The corresponding temperature of 3°C also supports the snowfall.
ACT
The Brindabella ranges, just south of Canberra, hold a snow cover each winter and in the 20th century there was even a chalet on Mt Franklin supporting downhill skiing.
Canberra receives a light snowfall every few years, and in May 2000, the last significant fall, NRL players had to play through the cold.
The city’s heaviest snowfalls were in 1929 and 1949, when newspaper reports indicated falls of up to around five inches.
Victoria
The second highest mountains in Australia, located in the alpine region of Victoria, support several major ski resorts.
Away from the Alps, the Great Dividing Range will typically see several snowfalls per year above an elevation of about 500m and, occasionally, snow will descend to lower levels.
Unlike NSW, no major towns lie on the higher parts of the Victorian ranges, however, numerous small towns lie sit between 500m and 700m, sufficiently high for a snowfall in most years.
The only Victorian city which has a long history of snow is Ballarat, where a dusting typically occurs every couple of years, with the last heavy fall in September 2020.
In 1882, snow was reported form Melbourne, Hamilton, Horsham and everywhere in between during a cold snap in July.
Indeed, Melbourne has several confirmed instances of snow. The eastern suburbs receive a light dusting each year, but for most of the city, the last snowfall was July 1986, although a few flurries were observed in August 2005.
Melbourne’s CBD missed out in 1986, but it did receive a brief snowfall in July 1951.
Melbourne’s heaviest snow on record was in August 1849 when snow was reported up to 30cm deep.
Tasmania
Australia’s most southern state sees regular snowfalls, although it is surprisingly rare at sea level where the larger towns are located.
Most of the small inland towns see a snowfall at least once per year, including higher southern suburbs of Hobart on the slopes of Mount Wellington/Kunanyi.
The last fall in the centre of Hobart was in August 2015 and the most recent major fall was back in 1986 when 2-3cm briefly shut down the city.
The heaviest snow in Hobart on record was in August 1921 when several inches accumulated.
A recent Launceston snowfall in August 2020 could take the prize for the state’s most extraordinary snow event, with up to 20cm falling across the city and suburbs.
South Australia
The mountains in South Australia are not as high as the eastern states, however, every few years snow falls on the Mount Lofty Ranges just east of Adelaide.
Roughly every decade or so, a light fall will also dust the ranges further north running up to the Flinders, most recently in August and September 2020 when several towns were blanketed in a few centimetres.
There is no record of snow falling in the centre of Adelaide, although a 1951 newspaper article mentions a fall in the suburb of Golden Grove, which has an elevation of 200m.
One issue that may prevent the accurate reporting of snow in the capital is the proximity of the Adelaide Hills, which tend to get most of the attention in snow events.
Western Australia
Snow in Western Australia in recent decades is extremely rare apart from on the Stirling ranges just north of Albany where each year typically brings one or two falls.
It is evident from newspaper reports that snow was more common in the past with regular mentions in the higher South West, which sit at around 300 to 400 metres elevation.
One source even suggests snow in Geraldton, in the state’s mid-west, in June 1956. The lowest temperature in the town that month was 4.5°C, and occurred on a day when no precipitation was observed.
A 1908 fall could be one of the most widespread in WA’s history, when snow settled in many towns including Kojonup, Katanning and Broomehill.
There are no confirmed snowfalls in the centre of Perth, however, numerous reports from the 20th century mention falls in the Perth Hills, although photo evidence is lacking.
Northern Territory
Somewhat of an unknown is that the southern Northern Territory is quite elevated and is therefore cooler than other parts of outback Australia.
The hottest ever temperature in Alice Springs of 45.7°C is actually below Sydney and Melbourne’s hottest days.
As a result, snow while exceptionally uncommon, has been observed.
It snowed at Uluru on 11 July, 1997, although it did not settle.
That day, the nearby town of Yulara recorded a maximum temperature of just 5.9°C.
Darwin’s coldest temperature on record is 10.4°C, and that was during clear skies.
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