Eastern Australia was hit by rare and intense winter weather this weekend, with parts of New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland blanketed in thick snow—some seeing their heaviest snowfall since the mid-1980s, Sky News reported. “As much as 40cm (16 inches) of snow fell in northern parts of New South Wales on Saturday,” Miriam Bradbury, a meteorologist at Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology, told the broadcasting network.
Even Queensland, where snow is extremely rare, witnessed snowfall in some areas for the first time in a decade.
Emergency Services Stretched
The New South Wales State Emergency Service (SES) reported attending more than 1,455 jobs over the weekend caused by snow, storms, and flooding. These were said to include more than 100 cars stuck on main roads and mass power failures to tens of thousands of homes.
One very serious case is the case of a missing 26-year-old woman who was swept away by floodwaters in the Hunter Valley area. Her condition was that she was in a vehicle which attempted to drive through floodwaters. A 27-year-old female driver, who was with her, was rescued safely. Search operations will resume on Monday.
Flood Warnings and Evacuations
Even as rain eased in some areas on Sunday, serious flooding dangers persist. Authorities issued a warning of anticipated flooding of low-lying areas in Gunnedah in New England and Raymond Terrace in the Hunter Region. People in some parts of New England were instructed to evacuate prior to 4 p.m. Sunday.
A yellow snow warning also remains in place for the Northern Tablelands until early Tuesday morning.
Climate Volatility and Unusual Conditions
While Australia has seen increasingly volatile weather in recent years—largely attributed to climate change—experts say this event still stands out. “What makes this event unusual is how much snow we had but also how widespread, covering quite a large part of the northern tablelands,” Bradbury explained.
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