More than 10 cm of snowfall was recorded in the Brindabellas on Sunday. Photo: ACT Weather Watch Twitter.
Canberra experienced its coldest May day in 23 years on Sunday (7 May), with a cold front bringing snow and hail to some parts of the ACT and NSW over the weekend.
Temperatures dropped to single digits across the region over the weekend, with Sunday’s high of 7.8 degrees Celcius in Canberra making it the coldest day of 2023 so far.
Friday and Saturday reached lows of -2.2 degrees and -1.3 degrees, respectively – in comparison, the mean minimum temperature for May stands at 2.5 degrees, according to BOM figures.
Across NSW, temperatures were between 2 and 5 degrees below average, and some locations in the Snowy/Monaro countries also saw their coldest May day on record on Sunday.
While it was a miserable rainy day for parts of Canberra, a hailstorm brought a surprise dusting of white to Belconnen – and while it wasn’t really snow, that didn’t stop some of the locals from enjoying the winter wonderland, building snowmen and cracking out the skis.
“A cold snap on Sunday in the wake of a cold front brought widespread small hail to Belconnen in the ACT and snow to low levels,” a BOM spokesperson told Region.
However, this isn’t out of the ordinary and may not be a sign of things to come.
“Although Sunday’s cold snap was the first significant one this year, early snowfalls are not unusual, including in May, and they are not a good predictor of seasonal snow conditions,” the spokesperson said.
Further out of the capital, meanwhile, a flurry of snow was recorded across the mountains and hills.
More than 10 cm of snow fell in the Alps and Brindabellas, and there was a dusting of snow in other lower parts of southern NSW and on the central ranges.
“Interestingly, the eastern side of the ranges, including Robertson and Macquarie Pass, also had decent snow with the low on the eastern side. Snow level was lower than usual with this setup,” the BOM spokesperson noted.
Perisher and Thredbo ski resorts also welcomed the snowfall.
“Blizzard conditions throughout the weekend brought lots more early season snowfall and the temperature on Saturday night was cold enough to kick start our snowmaking operations for this winter,” Thredbo ski resort posted on Monday morning.
“The snow kept falling all the way down to the village on Sunday and there are no signs of this cold front going anywhere yet. There are more snow and snowmaking conditions in the forecast for the coming days with temperatures set to drop as low as minus seven today.”
Temperatures are expected to return to average from tomorrow (9 May), with cold and frosty mornings set to remain as a reminder we are well and truly entering winter.
BOM forecasts widespread frost in eastern NSW on Tuesday morning before a dry, sunny day, while morning frost is forecast for much of the week in Canberra.
The Bureau forecasts mostly dry and sunny conditions in the capital this week, with low to no chance of rain between Monday and Friday – so Belconnen residents should be able to rest easy they won’t be caught in another hailstorm for now.
For those wondering if we should be expecting a snowy winter, BOM says: “For the coming winter, the Bureau is forecasting drier and warmer conditions. Although drier conditions mean less likelihood of natural snow, there will also be less likelihood of snow being washed away by rain and more chance of long-lived snow on the ground under clear skies.”
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