For the second year running snowfalls came early to the Australian ski fields, increasing local optimism that the 2003 ski season will be a bumper one.
Although the falls (recorded on May 20 and 21) were fairly light, they represented the first widespread falls of the season. Perisher Valley received 10cm, while nearby Charlotte Pass reported a 4cm covering.
Early starts to the snow season are fairly rare. In 1994, 1995 and 2002, about 40cm covered the higher resorts by the end of May, but before that, this depth wasn't achieved until way back in 1977. In 1996, 28cm of snow fell at the end of April, but quickly melted in a warm spell that saw no follow up falls until well into June.
In 1960, 1972 and 1982, snow cover was skiable from the end of April. In fact, in 1960 (arguably the best snow season ever) skiable snow was available for an incredible 26 weeks - right through until the end of November!
For the statistically minded, there is only an 18% chance of 50cm covering the ski fields in the first week of June, and just a 7% chance that there will be 1m cover for the official start of the ski season.
For the record, the 2003 Australian Ski Season officially commences on June 7, and ends on October 6.
If you have any comments or questions on this article please e-mail me at Gungahlin Weather Centre.
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