Australia's alpine ski resorts have turned to snowmaking ahead of the season opening during the upcoming King's Birthday long weekend.
The ski season officially kicks off on Saturday, June 8, this year.
But so far, there have only been light snowfalls that have largely melted, with no big snow events currently forecast in the near future, Weatherzone reported.
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And so the major ski resorts are making their own snow to ensure there's enough to lay down for the season.
"Snowmaking began on the weekend at several resorts and has continued into the working week in the cold dry, air in the wake of the cold front," Weatherzone said.
"Up to this Tuesday, May 21, Perisher Valley has had seven straight subzero nights, including a chilly minimum of –7.3 (degrees) on Tuesday morning."
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Snowmaking combines chilled water and compressed air before blasting it into the atmosphere.
"The higher the humidity, the colder it must be to turn this mix into snow crystals, so clear nights with low humidity are ideal," Weatherzone said.
Weatherzone reported that the lack of snow so far was caused by the blocking high-pressure systems that have brought so much rain to the east coast recently.
They also block snow-bearing cold fronts moving up from the south.
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