Victoria’s Mount Buller is calling time on ski season a month earlier than expected due to prolonged wild weather.
A fortnight of strong winds and rain has dramatically reduced the snow cover across most of the ski area.
Operations for this year will end at 5pm on Sunday after an “incredibly challenging” season, resort general manager Alan Arthur said.
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“The lack of natural snow was not what we wanted for our 100th year of skiing, but the celebrations were a highlight I’m sure many of us won’t forget,” Arthur said.
“We now look forward to the green season, and planning for winter 2025.”
Lift passes, resort entry and parking charges will be discounted in the final days of the season.
Record-breaking heat in NSW
Sydney reached 30 degrees this afternoon for the third time in a winter in more than 160 years, as mercury sat at almost 14 degrees above average.
Cronulla and Sydney Airport peaked at 31.6 degrees, which was the hottest August day for both areas in 85 years.
Temperatures reached 30.5 degrees in Bankstown, which made today the hottest August day in 57 years, while Penrith broke its record as it climbed to 30.3 degrees.
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Outside of Sydney, Bourke was the hottest place in the state with a recorded 37.1 degrees, a temperature which is 16 degrees above the August average.
The scorching heat broke a 15-year record in the north-west NSW town.
“It is unusual to see temperatures this warm through what is technically the end of winter,” Miriam Bradbury from the Bureau of Meteorology told 9News.
Soaring temperatures pushed the fire danger rating up to high as firefighters carried out a hazard reduction burn near homes in Kenthurst in the city’s north-west.
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Winds of 60km/h were recorded near Sydney Airport today, with gusts expected to continue over the weekend.
“Each night and the early period of each morning are likely to be very, very windy,” Bradbury said.
The conditions resulted in the delay of several planned burns ahead of the upcoming bushfire season.
“I urge the community prepare themselves, their properties and have a plan,” Glen McCartney from the NSW Rural Fire Service said.
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