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Antarctic Vortex Brings Wintry Weather and Snow to Australia

Temperatures dropped to zero in many southeastern regions

Jul 13, 2015 07:48 GMT  ·  By
It snowed in Australia over the weekend
   It snowed in Australia over the weekend

Towards the end of last week, Australia's Bureau of Meteorology issued a warning saying that a so-called Antarctic vortex was headed for the continent and that people in the states of Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland should ready themselves to face wintry weather, quite possibly even snowfall. 

“Residents and holidaymakers are advised to prepare for a burst of cold weather over the weekend which will see temperatures drop to zero in many locations,” the country's Bureau of Meteorology cautioned.

“We’re expecting temperatures will plummet, winds will be fresh to strong, and snow will fall down to low elevations,” added Barry Hanstrum, the regional director of the Bureau's division in New South Wales.

This rather peculiar weather forecast turned out to be spot on. It really did snow in southeastern regions in Australia over the weekend, as a cold front engulfed parts of Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales, and temperatures dropped. On Monday morning, the wintry weather still persisted.

Since it's not all that often that snow happens in Australia, photos of winter wonderlands all across the affected states flooded social media. Some folks were thrilled with the occurrence, others not so much.

At least nothing bad came of it

When telling people about the cold snap about to hit the country's southeastern states, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology made sure to also include advice on how to prepare for the wintry weather.

Folks considering a weekend of camping, boating or exploring the woods were told to keep a close watch on the weather and be ready to face cold conditions, should they decide to stick to their plans and venture outdoors.

The Bureau further cautioned that local roads could become slippery and that heavy snowfall might bring down trees, and pointed out that perhaps it would be best if people were to simply stay home.

In the event of isolation, residents of Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales were told to stock up on essentials like food, medicine and fuel, and get themselves a battery-powered torch and radio, just in case power lines fail.

Luckily, the Antarctic vortex wasn't all that bad. It was cold and snow did cover many regions, but the peculiar weather did not cause any major inconveniences.