A White Christmas? Summer Chill Brings Second Day Of Snow To Australia

(h/t Malcolm) It is now the third day of Summer in Australia. Here in Melbourne, it is bitterly cold and they say we could be headed for a White Christmas.

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Melbourne is on the cusp of the coldest December day since 2006 – less than two weeks after boiling through the equal-hottest November day this century.

The city hit a maximum of 16.8 degrees on Sunday, but is forecast for only 15 on Monday, as a series of cold fronts continue to push frigid air from the Southern Ocean.

If the prediction pans out, it’ll be the coldest December day since Christmas Day in 2006, when it peaked at 14.5 degrees and actually snowed.

On November 21 the city hit a top of 40.9 degrees – its hottest November day since 1894.

The unseasonal chill has brought significant dumps of snow across the Victorian Alps and falls as low as Mount William in the Grampians.

20-30cms of snow has falls here in @Falls_Creek its starting to feel like Christmas. I may even go for a ski…. @abcnews pic.twitter.com/EuRSoEYmqr

— Sam Perry (@samskis1) December 1, 2019

Snow resorts are reporting heavy dumps over the weekend. At Mount Hotham, there were 25 centimeters on the ground on Monday morning, with more snow expected throughout the day. Falls Creek recorded up to 20 centimeters and Mount Buller saw 18.

Temperatures aren’t expected to warm up until Sunday, which is currently forecast for 27 degrees.

Despite the cold, it’s no record. The chilly start to December is similar to 1996 when it didn’t reach 25 degrees for the first 15 days of December. In 1987, it didn’t exceed 25 degrees until the 10th.

The coldest December day on record was 10.4 degrees on December 12 in 1867.

“We do get every year or two some snowfalls across the Alpine areas,” said Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Michael Efron.

“It’s not a December record but there are certainly temperatures well below average.”

Read rest at The Age