Snow Piles Up In The Australian Alps, Even The Capitals; Reinforcing Cold Front To Extend U.S. Chill; Global Wildfire Area Down 30% Since 2002; + Atlantic Is A Ghost Town
Snow Piles Up In The Australian Alps, Even The Capitals
Australia has seen one of its snowiest seasons of the century, with a fresh Antarctic blast this week delivering even more.
Resorts are already reporting up to 30 cm (12 in) in the first 24 hours of the storm’s onset, with another 40–50 cm (16–20 in) forecast across the higher ranges. That will push storm totals on the upper slopes close to 1 m (3.3 ft) by Saturday, adding to season accumulations already around 3 m (10 ft) — levels not seen in years.
The Bureau of Meteorology had forecast a weak snow year back in May. Instead, Aussie ski fields are logging bumper levels.
This storm’s reach is also worth noting. Into the weekend, snow is expected within 35 km (22 mi) of five capital cities. Snow levels will fall to 600 m (1,970 ft) in Victoria, 700 m (2,300 ft) in NSW, and just 300 m (985 ft) in Tasmania. That makes a dusting possible on hills within Canberra itself, Melbourne’s outer ranges, Sydney’s Blue Mountains, Hobart’s western slopes, and even Adelaide’s Mount Lofty Ranges. Additionally, areas of the southern Flinders and Mid‑North of South Australia are likely to see snow and all.
Regional towns aren’t spared either. Snow is forecast in Orange, Lithgow, Oberon, the Monaro region, Guyra (NSW), Trentham, Omeo, and the Grampians (Victoria), plus many Tasmanian settlements—down to near sea level in some spots.
Up on the Alps, this storm is bolstering an already historic season. Resorts like Perisher, Mt Hotham, and Falls Creek hold bases of around 3 m (10 ft)—with all terrain open when storm holds allow. Blizzard conditions above 1200 m have made access tricky, but the totals are undeniable. “This season has been nothing short of spectacular,” says Perisher’s Maddi Ventura.
The front produced thundersnow over the VIC Alps and NSW Snowy Mountains:
Cold front producing thundersnow over the VIC Alps and NSW Snowy Mountains. pic.twitter.com/NWSn62SHtH
— Andrew Miskelly (@andrewmiskelly) August 29, 2025
Back in early August, southeast snowfields shattered records, posting their heaviest falls since the mid‑1980s. Parts of Queensland saw their first snow in decades, as levels dipped to around 800 m in areas of NSW and Victoria.
With 4–5 more weeks of lift operations planned, heavy snow still falling, and even low-level flakes across four states (plus the ACT), 2025 will cement itself as one of Australia’s most epic snow years of the century, despite the BOM’s relentless deception.
And as per latest GFS runs, August will close out very cold for practically the entire continent:
Reinforcing Cold Front To Extend U.S. Chill
Low temperatures are continuing to tumble, from Kentucky to West Virginia and into Pennsylvania.
Lexington, KY notched its third consecutive daily low record on Thursday, dipping to 48F (9C) — the coldest for the date since records began. Before that on Wednesday, the city plunged to 46F (8C) — the coldest August reading in nearly 40 years. While Tuesday tied a record dating back to 1945. Average lows for late August sit around 64F (18C).
In neighboring West Virginia, Huntington fell to 48F (9C) Thursday, breaking a 1986 mark, while Parkersburg tied its long-standing record at 45F (7C). Records in both locations stretch back almost a century.
Central Pennsylvania saw a reinforcing cold front sweep through Thursday into Friday, dragging highs well-below average, with many northern areas struggling to hit 60F (16C). A cold day followed on the heels of Thursday morning’s record-breaking chill.
Hundreds of low temperature benchmarks have fallen across the U.S. this week. Parts of the Plains and Midwest registered temperature departures of as much as 30F below average Tuesday/Wednesday, sparking frost advisories in the Upper Midwest.
And now looking ahead, another polar front is lining up out of Canada.
Even NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center sees it — a wide swath of anomalous cold from the Dakotas down to Texas, extending east into the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes. Mainstream have no choice but to concede: the U.S. is headed into early-season cold.
Global Wildfire Area Down 30% Since 2002
Contrary to the placard-brandishing alarmists that march Western streets, the world is not burning up. Satellite data from the Global Wildfire Information System show that the total land burned by wildfires each year has fallen by 28.5% since 2002.
Back in the early 2000s, close to half a billion hectares were burning annually. Today, that number sits near 350 million (and falling). The decline has been steady and clear across savannas, shrublands, forests, croplands, and other terrain.
While the media scrambles to frame every regional outbreak—California, Australia, the Mediterranean—as proof of “climate breakdown,” the global picture tells a very different story: wildfire activity is declining, not increasing.
The data is all there, alarmists — consume facts not spin.
Atlantic Is A Ghost Town
We’re now pushing into the heart of the Atlantic hurricane season — the period when activity normally surges. Yet the basin looks barren.
Aside from one low-probability wave off Africa, the tropics are silent:
During the peak, the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and western Atlantic are all void of storms. The season still has weeks to run of course, but as of late-August it is practically a ghost town out there. Fingers crossed it stays that way.
Like wildfire trends, hurricane data refuses to play along — another persistent headache for the AGW Party:
Thank you for your continued support.
Enjoy your weekend.
I’ll be back Monday, as always.
Best,
Cap
