Several towns in easternAustraliawere blanketed with their thickest layer ofsnowin decades as wild weather swept the area over the weekend. Cars, roofs and gardens were completely white as a cold air front dropped as much as 16in (40cm) of snow on parts of northernNew South Waleson Saturday, the most since the mid-1980s. Snow also settled in areas of the neighbouring state ofQueenslandfor the first time in ten years, Miriam Bradbury, a meteorologist at Australia's weather bureau, said. The snow, combined with heavy rain and thunderstorms, has led to more than 1,455 incidents, according to the New South Wales State Emergency Service. Thousands of homes are expected to remain without power for another 24 hours, while mobile phone outages have been widely reported across the area. More than 200 vehicles were stranded on roads due to snow, storms had damaged buildings, and major flood warnings were issued. The rain started to ease on Sunday, but parts of New England in New South Wales were told to evacuate ahead of major flooding expected on Monday. Ms Bradbury saidclimate changehas madeAustralia's weather more volatilein recent years, but that this sort of event had only occurred several times in history. "What makes this event unusual is how much snow we had but also how widespread, covering quite a large part of the northern tablelands," she said. Many were keen to make the most of the unexpected weather. Footage showed residents making snowmen and enjoying snowball fights, a rare sight in Australia's most populous state. "It's a very surreal experience. I've never seen snow before in my entire life," Brendan Gough, who travelled hundreds of miles from Queensland to experience the phenomenon, told Reuters. Police in New South Wales, said a car had become stuck in floodwater on Saturday evening and a female passenger was swept away. The search was continuing on Sunday, they said. The 27-year-old woman was rescued without injuries, police later said on Monday, adding that the search for other possible victims was underway. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
