Australia Ski Season to Begin Early

By Jim Andrews, Senior Meteorologist

May 17, 2011; 11:49 AM ET

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Recent cold and snow will allow a major Australian ski resort to begin its winter season ahead of schedule.

The Australian's website reports that the Perisher resort will open one of its slopes on Friday, May 20. The resort's "official" start of season would be on June 11.

The intended early opening would follow on the heels of nearly two weeks of below-normal temperatures augmented by mountain snowfall. The operators were able to have a "successful round" of snowmaking last week, the Australian stated.

According to weather data accessed by AccuWeather.com, average temperatures for the first half of May were 2 to 4 degrees F below normal.

NASA Worldwind image.

Perisher is located high in the Snowy Mountains of southeastern Australia. The larger Australian Alps, of which the Snowies are part, play host to a number of ski resorts in the states of Victoria and New South Wales.

Southern winters, which are offset by six months versus their Northern Hemisphere counterpart, yield a bounty of snow to these mountains. Resorts operate at elevations between 5,500 and 7,000 feet, where freezing nights are the rule and natural snow depths often exceed 1 meter, or 3 feet.

Normally, ski season in the Australian Alps begins in June and lasts until September or early October.

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