Fresh Snowfall In Australia With 2026 Season Starting This Weekend

An early-winter storm is gathering momentum in Australia ahead of the start of the 2026 ski season in the country this weekend.

The snow started falling as overnight temperatures dipped below freezing on the last day of may on Sunday and has been gathering intensity since. Some resorts have now reported up to 15cm (6") has fallen so far with more snow forecast in the leadup to Opening Weekend this Saturday 6 June.

“It’s not blower pow, but some say it’s good for the base… Fingers crossed the temps stay cold enough for more snow to follow,” a social media post for Hotham explained.

Perisher, the country’s largest resort, has seen temps drop as low as –3 °C.

“As well as natural snowfall, we had 59 snowguns firing from 9 pm all through the night, and they are still cranking this morning,” Emily Smith, Senior Manager of Brand said on Monday.

At Falls Creek, Mother Nature dumped 10cm of fresh snowfall across the resort, and temperatures dipped to -1.1C overnight.

“Alongside snowmaking whenever conditions allow, our mountain team is working around the clock to prepare for the season,” said Betony Pitcher, Falls Creek Manager of Brand and Experience. “The village is coming to life, excitement is building, and we can’t wait to welcome guests back this weekend.”

Three Australian resorts, Corin Forest, Mt Buller and Thredbo, now operate all‑weather snowmaking systems to ensure early‑season cover. Mt Buller runs five of these units, believed to be the largest fleet of its kind at any ski area worldwide.

Winter begun in the Southern Hemisphere by the meteorological calendar on Monday, with Australia’s ski season traditionally launching on the first full weekend of June, a long weekend in most states, including the key ski regions of Victoria and New South Wales, marking the King’s Birthday holiday.