SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – Large parts of eastern Australia are grappling with a rare and severe winter storm that has dumped the heaviest snowfall in decades, paralyzing regional communities, shutting down major highways, and leaving tens of thousands of homes without power in a phenomenon described as highly unusual by weather experts.
The states of New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria have been hit hardest by the unprecedented cold snap, which began over the weekend. Regions such as the Northern Tablelands in NSW have been blanketed with up to 40-50 centimeters (16-20 inches) of snow, a level not seen since the mid-1980s. The wild weather has transformed bucolic landscapes into winter wonderlands but has also brought significant disruption.
Major transport arteries, including long stretches of the New England Highway, have been forced to close due to treacherous conditions, with black ice and deep snow making roads impassable. Emergency services have been working around the clock, responding to over 1,400 incidents. In the Northern Tablelands alone, reports indicate that more than 100 to 200 vehicles were left stranded, forcing some motorists to spend the night in their cars in freezing temperatures.
The impact has extended beyond transport. Essential Energy reported that tens of thousands of households and businesses across NSW experienced power outages as heavy snow brought down power lines and damaged infrastructure. In some areas, the heavy snowfall was accompanied by severe thunderstorms and heavy rain, leading to flood warnings in low-lying areas and adding to the chaos.
Even parts of the state of Queensland, known for its subtropical climate, witnessed snow for the first time in a decade, highlighting the extraordinary extent of the weather system.
Miriam Bradbury, a meteorologist at Australia's Bureau of Meteorology, described the event as remarkable. "What makes this event unusual is how much snow we had, but also how widespread it was, covering quite a large part of the Northern Tablelands," she said in a statement.
While such powerful cold fronts have occurred in the historical record, Bradbury noted that climate change is contributing to making Australia's weather more volatile and extreme. The event serves as a stark example of this increasing unpredictability, challenging the nation's preparedness for weather phenomena typically associated with colder continents.
As authorities continue the cleanup operation and work to restore power, communities are left to marvel at the rare spectacle while counting the cost of a winter storm that will be remembered for years to come.
