a game of two halves where the second half see’s more precipitation than the first…

Here we go folks, the next round of the oft-turbulent Australian snow season kicks off in about six weeks time.  I’ve tuned my antennae into the latest climate data, and it’s looking turbulent indeed. With high precipitation and a possible increase in cutoff lows on the cards, the season is on a knife-edge where cold temperatures will be the difference between powder turns and tussock turns.

 The big talking point in this outlook is the body of warm water surrounding the Maritime Continent north of Australia, stretching from the eastern Indian Ocean to the Western Pacific. Sea surface temperatures here are expected to get even warmer over the coming months, likely resulting in an abundant supply of moisture feeding into weather systems as they approach the Aussie Alps.