Ski resorts struggle for snow cover as El Nino threatens season outlook

Ski resorts across south-eastern Australia are facing their worst start to the season in years, as above-average temperatures and rainfall melt snow in the alpine regions.

Despite winter school holidays kicking off across the country, snow cams at resorts across Victoria and NSW are showing snowless mountain peaks and suspended ski lifts.

Temperatures across south-eastern Australia have averaged two or three degrees above the long-term June average, including at Victoria’s highest ski resort, Mt Hotham, where the average daily maximum has been 3.5 degrees.

Mt Hotham has had just two centimetres of snowfall in the last seven days, while Mt Buller and Falls Creek haven’t had any snowfall since June 4.

Australia’s snowfields are not expected to receive any fresh snowfall for the remainder of June, according to Weatherzone.

If Weatherzone’s prediction is right, it could be the first time in more than 70 years that NSW’s Spencers Creek - near the popular Perisher and Charlotte Pass resorts - started July without any natural snow.

The warmer-than-expected temperatures are impacting resorts’ man-made snow-making abilities too, with the atmosphere too humid for generic snow guns to produce snow.

Some higher-tech guns are capable of producing snow at higher temperatures.

Mt Hotham and Falls Creek have been forced to produce 33cm of man-made snow to bring levels up to the average depth, while Perisher is relying on 178 snow guns to blast snowfields.

Meteorologists are hopeful temperatures will begin to drop below average from around July 4.

Rain is likely to develop from Monday next week as a cloud band develops over eastern Australia, but it is likely to remain too warm to fall as snow. 

“As we head into the second part of the week, another cold front will sweep over…and that system itself could bring some colder air, as well as very welcome and very timely alpine snow for the ski resorts in the second part of next week,” BoM meteorologist Jonathan How said. 

But unreliable June snowfall is not uncommon and isn’t an indicator of a poor ski season, the BoM said.

According to the Bureau’s long-term forecast, both daytime and nighttime temperatures across south-eastern Australia are likely to be above average  between July and September.

Meteorologists are also tipping below-average rainfall across most of the country and an increased chance of unusually dry conditions over the same period.

These impacts could be strengthened by El Nino, which usually lowers the likelihood of a long, plentiful snow season due to lower moisture levels in the air.