Australian snow season begins amid El Niño fears

Australia’s snow season has officially begun, with resorts predicting a good season despite climactic threats and the cost-of-living crisis. Between 20cm and 40cm of snow fell across the Victorian and New South Wales alps before the long weekend, with the falls bolstered by snowmakers. The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) said on Friday that the snow was widespread, with light snow showers clearing up to deliver cold frosty nights and sunny days for the weekend. On Saturday, snow cams showed snow blanketing the ground in some areas. In others, it was patchy or nonexistent. Resorts increasingly have to rely on technology including snow cannons, snow “factories” (which can produce snow in any temperature), snow grooming and snow harvesting to keep skiers and snowboarders happy. Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email Thredbo resort’s general manager, Stuart Diver, said sales were up and they were “pretty confident it’s going to be a good season”. He dismissed predictions from the BoM of below-average snowfall, and said last year had been amazing despite a similar forecast. But ahead of the long weekend that marked the season’s “opening”, experts warned that climate change and the El Niño weather pattern could deliver a slushy season . BoM senior forecaster Jonathan How said dry, warm conditions combined with El Niño, which is likely to form in the coming weeks, were a “bad combination”. …