Is this the ‘Season Starter’ we have been waiting for?

 

 

June 20, 2017 @ 20:21pm

By Pete ‘The Frog’ Taylor  – snowatch.com.au

We are already well into June and approaching July and there is virtually no cover in the resorts away from the man made areas. With a warm spell continuing that should come to an end this weekend the snow makers haven’t been able to pump out snow like they did prior to the season when we had a run of very cold clear nights. Even the man made cover has diminished over the last week.

So the big question is when is the snow going to come?

There is a cold front due to arrive on Sunday that should drop some snow in the mountains across Sunday and Monday, but unfortunately it’s not a ‘Season Starter’. It currently looks like we could see around 1ocm in the resorts which will be good for two reasons. The first obviously being that it will add to the man made cover we have, allowing at least some skiing and boarding to continue. The second reason is that the snow falling away from the areas already covered will help freeze the ground and keep it cold for when they bigger dump comes.

And when will that be?……well I’ve have been following a large system for a week now and have been talking about on the long range forecast page on Snowatch. It’s due to arrive in the first week of July (currently sitting between South America and South Africa) and it is showing real promise due to the size of the system and the positioning of the highs in front and behind. Of course it’s the weather and things can change but I’d be very surprised if we didn’t see a moderate fall of snow at worst during this time. If this one comes off we could see a few days at least of decent snowfalls. If we could squeeze 40-50cm then we will have lift off for Season 2017.  It would be great news for the resorts and those heading to the mountains for the school holidays (myself included for NSW Interschools).

Time will tell but this is definitely one to follow. Don’t get disheartened if you see other weather sites sitting on the fence or not seeing this next week. I expect it to weaken somewhat before gaining strength again a week out. Either way it will be a nervous wait.

Keep an eye on the Long Range Forecast for daily updates.

The Frog

 

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If publishing any of the above forecast outlook please quote Snowatch.com.au at the source.