Nervous wait for snow after 'terrible' start to NSW ski season

Alpine communities in Australia's New South Wales are anxiously awaiting snow as the ski season struggles with a "terrible" start. Warm weather and rain have severely impacted natural snowfall and the ability to make snow at resorts. Since the season's opening on June 6, only a meager 14 centimeters of snow was recorded at Spencers Creek, which has since vanished. Snowatch forecaster Peter Taylor described the beginning of the season as potentially the worst on record. However, a shift in weather is anticipated later in the week, with temperatures expected to drop. This could bring snowfalls from Thursday night through Saturday morning, followed by clear, cold nights ideal for snow-making. Meteorologists predict up to 10 centimeters of snow could fall as low as 1,200 meters elevation on Thursday. Businesses in the Snowy Mountains, like Michelle Lindsay's Alpine Sports in Jindabyne, are hopeful for improved conditions before the NSW school holidays begin this weekend. While beginner skiers are still hitting the patchy slopes, the bulk of tourism relies on substantial snowfall. Lindsay expressed the town's anxiety, stating, "Like everybody in town, we're quite anxious to see some snow fall as soon as possible. It's been a very slow start." She added, "People won't come if there's no snow, but we're very excited there is snow in the forecast before the school holidays."

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By Thursday morning, we're probably going to reach the lowest of the lows as far as the season's concerned, and it's probably looking like the worst on record start to the season I've seen.