Winter wonderland greets towns in Queensland but in NSW wild weather causes traffic chaos and knocks out power to thousands of homes

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

A blast of cold weather has given towns in southern Queensland their best snowfall in more than a decade but caused chaos in New South Wales, leaving thousands without power and closing dozens of schools.

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In Queensland, falls of up to eight centimetres were recorded in Stanthorpe and nearby Eukey overnight, sending residents scurrying outside in their pyjamas to take in the scene.

Queensland Australia (@Queensland) Yew! RT @AshtonRigg: There is snow in @Queensland.snow in QLD! http://t.co/8YJ5KDGWoo pic: Higgins storm chasing pic.twitter.com/wMqxsWu5rV

Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Sam Campbell said it had been years since that much snow was seen in the area.

“Since midnight we’ve seen snow falling steadily around the Stanthorpe and Eukey area with some widespread covering of snow, about several centimetres deep,” he told the ABC.

Stefan Armbruster (@StefArmbruster) White July. Snow blankets southern Qld, most in a decade http://t.co/jTXRrj7Z0s via @EllieSibson @fiddyr @gordeyfuad pic.twitter.com/VKAjJgJW05

Andrew (@andrewfaith) Snowing in Blackheath. 10-15cm so far. Trains cancelled. Don’t risk driving. @702sydney @smh @7NewsSydney pic.twitter.com/wD0borDgIJ



Stanthorpe local Michael Hilton said he was in awe at what he saw when he ventured outside just after 3am.



“I missed the 1984 snow. I’ve never ever, ever seen anything like this in my life. It’s just like a winter wonderland,” he told the ABC.

However, in NSW wild weather and heavy snowfalls have led to more than 20 road crashes, left thousands without power and closed about 50 schools.

Chief Superintendent Simon Locke said the snow was causing major problems for emergency services.



“Snow, ice, strong winds and heavy rain are making for treacherous conditions for NSW Ambulance paramedics to respond to patients,” he said.



Paramedics have responded to more than 20 car crashes since 5am on Friday with the education department listing 48 schools shut due to the weather.



Up to 2,200 homes and businesses in the Blue Mountains and Southern Highlands are still without power and are not expected to be reconnected until late on Friday.



The towns of Blackheath, Bowral, Berrima and Katoomba are among those hit by the power outages.



Power has been restored at more than 6,000 premises in snow-coated parts of NSW.



Road closures are in place in Sydney, Lithgow, Bathurst, Katoomba and other areas in the Blue Mountains.

Both the Great Western Highway and Bells Line of Road were closed in the morning, leaving no way for motorists to travel between Sydney and Lithgow.

BiancaNogrady (@BiancaNogrady) Tobogganing in Blackheath #snow pic.twitter.com/WVs7dRh0k9

The Hume highway has partially reopened after being shut because of snow and ice on the road. But traffic authorities are still advising people to avoid the major highway between Sydney and Melbourne if possible, with several trucks broken down with iced brakes.

Just one lane of the highway is open in each direction near Bowral, in the NSW southern highlands, and traffic is backed up for about 12km.

The New England Highway in the north-east was closed between Glenn Innes and Armidale.

The Bureau of Meteorology said snowfalls in Bowral, Mittagong and Katoomba in the Blue Mountains were expected to stop by the end of the day, with no snow predicted for the rest of the week.

“The system that’s causing it, the low that’s sitting off the Illawarra coast, will move east. By tonight there will be no further snowfalls outside of the ranges.”