Rare Snowfall Blankets Eastern Australia, Causing Chaos

On the weekend of August 3rd, 2025, eastern Australia experienced an unprecedented weather event, with rare and heavy snowfall blanketing parts of the region. According to meteorologists, northern New South Wales saw up to 40cm (16 inches) of snow, the most since the mid-1980s. Neighboring Queensland also reported snowfall for the first time in 10 years.

The extreme weather conditions, which included heavy rain and thunderstorms in other areas, have led to over 1,455 incidents being reported by the New South Wales State Emergency Service. This included more than 100 vehicles being stranded on major roads and tens of thousands of homes losing power. Tragically, a 26-year-old woman was swept away in floodwaters in the Hunter Valley region after the driver of the car she was in tried to travel through the rising waters. The driver was rescued unharmed, but the search for the missing woman is ongoing.

Despite the rain easing on Sunday, some parts of New England in northern New South Wales were told to evacuate before 4 pm due to the risk of flooding. The New South Wales State Emergency Service has warned that major flooding is expected to occur in low-lying areas on Monday.

While climate change has made Australia's weather more volatile in recent years, meteorologists have described this particular event as highly unusual due to the widespread and significant snowfall across the region.