Global Weekly Snow Roundup #331
Weekly Global Snow News, updated 10 September 2026: South America reaches 4.7m (16ft) snow depths, while New Zealand thrives, Australia struggles and summer skiing resumes in the Alps.
- Australia: Rain has worsened conditions, leaving only Perisher and Thredbo open.
- New Zealand: Continues to have the highest proportion of open terrain worldwide.
- South America: Still has the deepest snow, with depths reaching 4.7m.
- Northern Hemisphere: Alpine summer skiing has resumed, with fresh snow also hitting North America.
World Overview
As meteorological spring continues to gain a hold in the Southern Hemisphere, the final weeks of the Southern Hemisphere are looking very different depending on which ski nation you look at. Australia’s season has deteriorated further and dramatically, with weekend rainfall damaging the thin remaining base and prompting early closures at most centres that had still been battling on. Only Perisher and Thredbo remain open, and conditions there are extremely limited.
New Zealand, by contrast, has seen another week of varied weather but continues to offer the highest proportion of open terrain worldwide. South America remains the most deeply buried continent with snow depths of up to 4.7m (nearly 16 feet) reported. The past week has seen more settled weather at last in both Argentina and Chile.
Things are looking up as we move further into the northern hemisphere's meteorological autumn/fall. The good news is that summer skiing has resumed in the Alps, and there's been further snowfall reported on high terrain in North America, with ski areas in Oregon the latest to post pictures of snow-covered peaks and reporting that the conditions have led to temporary suspension of last (astronomical) summer biking and hiking operations.
