Snow chains will be required on all two-wheel drive cars from Sawpit Creek on Tuesday and all drivers in the snowfields have been advised to exercise extreme caution after fierce blizzard conditions gripped the Snowy Mountains overnight.
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Described as the first significant storm of the winter season, the cold blast of air from the south began generating snow at the NSW resorts on Monday and continued into the night.
The rush of cold air brought severe weather warnings and sheep grazier alerts across the South Coast and southern tablelands. Light snow dusted the Brindabella mountain range on Monday night.
Those freezing winds, together with sleet and snow, have generated some amazing sights such as the huge flange of ice hanging off the side of the steel support on the Mt Coree fire tower, as posted on Monday by the Emergency Services Agency.
Thredbo top station hit a low of -4.6 degrees at 6.16pm on Monday after fierce winds had forced the closure of a number of chairlift at both Thredbo and Perisher.
The compensation was the arrival of fresh powder snow - or "pow" as the snow fans call it - which is expected to be the biggest fall of the 2024 season so far, with as much as 25cm expected when it finally pushes through.
Limited mountain terrain has been open while the resort rallied against the slow start to the season with snowmaking. However, Perisher reported that as many as 30 lifts could be opened on Tuesday after the passage of the storm.
Snow showers are predicted at Perisher Valley through Tuesday and Wednesday, with a break on Thursday, then a return to snowy conditions again for the remainder of the week and weekend.
It's a major boost for the resorts during the school holiday season, as until now skiers and snowboarders have been unable to link between the resorts because of a lack of sufficient snow up top.
One of the major beneficiaries to the snow storm has been Mt Selwyn, which is at a lower altitude and has struggled to keep a limited snow cover with machinery and manpower. Finally, the resort was reported to have a full cover on Monday and signs were promising for the rest of the week.
The high winds experienced on Monday are predicted to ease on Tuesday. At 7am, the wind speed at the Perisher Village was 13kmh, with the temperature just above zero.
