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Deepest July Australian snowpack in four years

It has been a mediocre week for snowfalls in the Australian mainland alpine region, but despite only minor top-ups since last weekend, the snow depth is the best for July since 2021.

The depth at Spencers Creek (elevation 1830m, roughly halfway between the NSW resorts of Perisher and Thredbo) was around 160cm this Friday, July 18.

Here's how that compares to the officially recorded peak depth at Spencers Creek in July over the last four years:

• 2024: 124.6cm on July 30 (also the season peak)
• 2023: 131cm on July 13 (also the season peak)
• 2022: 129.5cm on July 27 (the season kept improving with a late peak of 232cm on September 20)
• 2021: 183.6cm on July 29 (the season peak)

Image: Snowy Hydro uses two data sets. One is the average of a series of manual measurements. The second is a remote automated daily reading as shown above. Source: Snowy Hydro.

While the cold fronts in recent days have generally peaked too far south for significant mainland snow, it has been a different story in Tasmania.

Snow fell to low elevations at times across Tasmania this week and is set to do so again in coming days. A snow level as low as 500m is expected by Sunday, with a cold front that will largely bypass the mainland.

Image: This cabin in Tasmania’s Central Highlands was not the worst spot to cosy up with a good book this week. Source: Erin McGrath (@ezzamcgrath on Instagram).

Looking further ahead, next week looks to be relatively warm in the mainland Australian high country, with some likely rain at all elevations with a system due on Tuesday. The highest peaks could be in for a few fresh flakes early on Wednesday in the tail-end of the system.

By the end of next week, there’s an indication of a much stronger, snowier system on the models however it’s too early to call that one with any confidence.

Image: Snow forecast in Miena, Tas, at 2:00am AEST on Sunday, July 20, as seen in the hourly graphs on the Weatherzone app.

For the latest forecasts, cams and more, don’t forget to check the Weatherzone snow page throughout the 2025 season.