A Winter Storm in Australia by Tomasz Schafernaker
A storm off Australia’s south east coast caused high seas and snow falls west of Sydney on Wednesday, but spared coastal areas from an expected battering by stormy winds, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
The Bureau said the storm had moved out into the Tasman Sea, and the strongest winds had failed to strike coastal areas of New South Wales (NSW), as previously forecast. However, according to forecasters ‘it was a close call’.
The storm led to snow falls across large areas of the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, and saw more rain in the city itself, which is already recording its wettest June on record. Heavy snow also fell around Oberon and Bathurst in central-western NSW.
Winter has also arrived in South Island, New Zealand. Snow is causing major disruption in central Otago, with the airport closed and a number of car crashes blamed on icy roads. The snow is expected to worsen on Thursday night and police are asking people not to travel unless it is absolutely necessary. The cold weather comes in time for Friday, the shortest day of the year with only 8.5 hours of daylight in some parts of the country.
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