"Bit Cold This Morning?" Australia's Ski Resorts Notch First Snowfall of the Season
It’s funny how the weather works, sometimes.
Out West, ski resorts are closing early left and right, dashing many skiers' hopes for spring turns as historic heat bakes the snowpack. But in Australia, Old Man Winter clocked in early, months ahead of when local ski resorts plan to open.
Thredbo Resort, one of the country’s largest ski resorts, took to social media, showing off the latest snowy bounty. It was the mountain’s first snow of 2026.
“Bit cold this morning? Here’s why,” Thredbo Resort wrote. “Say hello to the first snowfall of the season, in MARCH!”
The 2026 POWDER Photo Annual is here! Look for a print copy on a newsstand near you, or click here to have a copy shipped directly to your front door.
Thredbo wasn’t alone. Flakes arrived at other resorts, like Mount Hotham and Perisher, too.
The accumulation hasn’t been large.
Still, the slopes at both resorts were covered in a thin layer of white on Thursday (or Friday, if you're checking in from Australia) afternoon, providing a little tease of the season to come.
Ahead of the chilly blast, a local news outlet reported that it would be Australia’s first “real cold snap” of the year. Forecasters expected temperatures to drop well below normal in the country’s southeast corner, with thunderstorms, to boot.
In true Australian fashion, the weather even prompted the Bureau of Meteorology to issue a warning for sheep graziers. “There is a risk of losses of lambs and sheep exposed to these conditions,” the warning read.
For Mount Hotham, the snow comes well ahead of winter’s peak, which, on average, arrives sometime in July or August. Those are the snowiest months of the year, per data on snow-forecast.com.
The latest round of snow should be short-lived. Forecasters expect sunny and above-freezing temperatures to arrive over the weekend at Australia’s ski resorts.
Official opening dates are still a ways away, too.
Mount Hotham is targeting June 7. Thredbo plans to open a day earlier, as does Perisher.
In the southern hemisphere, meteorological winter starts on June 1.
For those of us cooking in the March heat, though, it’s just nice to see some snow right now, even if it's thousands of miles away.