Snowbart in Spring

September 25th, 2021

By Thomas Moore

October 3^rd, 2021

“Ok so not the #snowbart we were promised but the mountain still looks pretty!”

We all went to sleep on the Friday night thinking the same thing - would the morning bring snowball fights at sea level and a Tasman Bridge ski run?

Hanging off the bottom of the continent and anchored in the Southern Ocean Australia's island state of Tasmania is no stranger to a snowflake. But the cool temperate climate means that, unless you're up some craggy dolerite peak, snow doesn't often stick around long enough to count.

Visions of 1986

But that doesn't stop Hobartians from hoping. For those over 40, or any who've heard the story, there's always the prospect of another "big snow" like the blanket that landed on July 25th, 1986. And while six inches at sea level isn't exactly Canada it's a winter wonderland for Tasmania.

Anytime the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) starts forecasting snow below 200 metres the hibernal hype and expectation builds.

“The mountain still looks pretty!”

During Friday, September 24th, as the mass of cold Antarctic air approached the west coast of Tasmania, the BoM warned of severe weather, winds over 100km/hr, and forecast up to 5cm of snow down to 120 metres overnight. When asked, forecasters took a punt on a 40% chance of snow at sea level.

Dawn pressed faces against bedroom windows, eyes searching the hillsides for a promised white cloak that, depending on your outlook, was or wasn't there. For those on the island with some altitude some reports were white and wonderful but I think @mskatieparrott had the best take - “Ok so not the #snowbart we were promised but the mountain still looks pretty!”