Australian Alps face record warmth and minimal snow, prompting early ski resort closures

The 2026 season in the Australian Alps broke temperature records, delivering a winter that was both warm and rain-laden, which halted the development of a seasonal snowpack at lower elevations. At the Perisher Valley station, only 25 mm of precipitation fell below freezing despite a total of 301 mm recorded from early June to early July, and a modest snowfall arrived only in July. Average winter temperatures across the high country topped previous records, with the Cabramurra station reporting a mean of 4.0 °C, far above its long-term average of 1.8 °C, and Mount Buller reaching 1.9 °C against a 0.1 °C norm.

Snow depth peaked two weeks earlier than usual and remained historically low, making it the worst natural-snow season for higher elevations since 2006 and the poorest ever for lower regions. Resorts like Mount Selwyn and Mount Baw Baw have already shut down, while Mount Hotham and others are expected to close before the traditional October finish. Josh Elliott, chief executive of Snow Resorts Australia, emphasized that decades of snowmaking infrastructure and new all-weather systems can mitigate some impacts, but the trend underscores a rising winter snowline linked to climate warming.