Snow has fallen across Australia's mainland ski resorts, and while it won’t be enough to guarantee skiing on the official season opening on Saturday, June 7, it’s a step in the right direction.

Australia’s largest resort Perisher was claiming 15cm of settled snow on its snow stake, with slightly lower totals reported at other resorts, after a polar airmass briefly whipped through southeastern Australia on Tuesday before clearing on Wednesday morning.

Image: Blizzard conditions were welcome albeit short-lived at Falls Creek in Victoria. Source: Falls Creek.

For keen snow watchers, this was a somewhat disappointing event, after models earlier this week had suggested the possibility of heavier snowfalls.

Unfortunately, most of the moisture arrived as rain in a warm northwesterly flow ahead of the front, after a cold pool of air wrapped around the low pressure system but didn’t surge across the Alps like a classic winter system.

While the rain that came ahead of the cold air was great news for parts of South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania, it wasn’t quite what the ski resorts ordered. 

The good news for our ski resorts – and for anyone hoping for a slide on at least the beginner slopes on the King’s Birthday Long Weekend – is that a period of dry, sub-zero nights is now upon us. These conditions are ideal for snowmaking.

Image: Dust from the huge dust cloud that moved across SE Australia could be seen mixed with freshly fallen snow at Thredbo. Source: Thredbo.com.au.

Don’t forget to visit Weatherzone’s snow page throughout the season for the latest forecasts, live cams and more.