Snow in Western Australia
List Of All Known Snowfalls
This page contains a list and some details of all known snowfalls in Western Australia since European settlement. Information was obtained from mostly the Bureau of Meteorology, but has been supplemented with my own findings from other sources, particularly reports from old newspapers in the State Library of WA.
Snow has almost certainly fallen on many other occasions and in other places that are not recorded here. See Notes on Historical Data for limitations of the accuracy and completeness of this list.
In the table below, only town names explicitly mentioned in the sources are included. In some cases snow could have been seen in neighbouring areas, but if not specifically stated, I've not included them. "Stirlings" refers of course to the Stirling Ranges, and "Porongorups" to the Porongorup Range. I've created separate pages for years where I've obtained more detailed information (1956, 1992, 1998) - click on the relevant More Details links.
| Year | Date | Affected Locations | Comments |
| 2015 | Sep 1 | Stirlings | Several cm of snow on Bluff Knoll and Toolbrunup Peak |
| 2015 | Aug 9 | Stirlings | Light dusting on Bluff Knoll |
| 2015 | May 4 | Stirlings | Light and short-lived early-morning dusting on Bluff Knoll summit |
| 2013 | Aug 16 | Stirlings | Very light snow on Bluff Knoll |
| 2012 | Sep 4 | Stirlings | Several cm of snow on Bluff Knoll |
| 2012 | Jun 13 | Stirlings | Dusting of snow on Bluff Knoll |
| 2011 | Sep 27 | Stirlings | Snow showers reported on Bluff Knoll |
| 2009 | Sep 29 | Stirlings | Snow fell but did not settle during the morning on Bluff Knoll |
| 2009 | Jul 25 | Stirlings | Bluff Knoll experienced rime plus snow showers which did not settle |
| 2008 | Jul 19 | Stirlings | Light dusting of snow on Bluff Knoll |
| 2007 | Oct 27 | Stirlings | Snow on Bluff Knoll from 8am, continuing throughout day. Snowflakes reported in Katanning for about 30 seconds at 11am. |
| 2005 | Sep 27 | Stirlings | Light dusting of snow on Bluff Knoll |
| 2005 | Aug 30 | Stirlings | Patchy snow up to 1cm on Bluff Knoll |
| 2005 | Aug 18 | Stirlings | Snow 5cm deep remained on Bluff Knoll after overnight falls |
| 2005 | Jul 06 | Lake Johnston | Falling snow and sleet sighted by truck drivers at Lake Johnston, west of Norseman |
| 2005 | Jul 05 | Stirlings | Snow fell on the Stirling Ranges but did not settle on ground, though some remained in bushes |
| 2004 | Aug 28 | Stirlings | Snow up to 1cm deep covered Bluff Knoll above 900m level Newspaper article (The Albany Advertiser, Aug 31st 2004) |
| 2003 | Aug 22 | Stirlings, Ongerup, Gnowangerup, Jerramungup, Nyabing and near Lake King | Snow fell in various parts of the Great Southern around 7am including Gnowangerup, Ongerup, Jerramungup, Nyabing and near Lake King. Up to 7cm of snow at a farm 35km SE of Nyabing. The Stirlings had 2.5cm of snow at 1pm. Most widespread fall since the 1992 snow events. Details including charts (at Australian Weather News website) |
| 2003 | Jul 22 | Stirlings | There was 2cm of snow reported on Bluff Knoll |
| 2002 | Jul 12 | Stirlings | Hail was widespread across the southwest and snow fell on the Stirling Ranges for the first time in several years |
| 1999 | Sep 15 | Stirlings | A blanket of snow covered the upper reaches of the Stirling Range; some of the deeper portions of snow persisted for most of the day |
| 1999 | Sep 03 | Stirlings | A light covering of snow was observed on Bluff Knoll |
| 1998 | Jul 26 | Stirlings | 20cm of snow on Bluff Knoll lasting up to three days. More details > |
| 1998 | Jun 11 | Stirlings | Light fall of snow on Bluff Knoll |
| 1993 | Sep 18 | Porongorups | Porongorups Caravan Park from about 12.45pm |
| 1992 | Nov 19 | Stirlings, Porongorups, Greenbushes, Wagin, Darkan, Narrogin, Manjimup, Kojonup, Rocky Gully, Boyup Brook, Mt Barker | There were light falls recorded at Greenbushes, Wagin, Darkan, Narrogin, Manjimup, Kojonup, Rocky Gully, Boyup Brook and Mt Barker. There were heavier falls on the Stirling and Porongorup Ranges. This is the latest during a year that snow has ever been reported in WA. More details > |
| 1992 | Oct 06 | Stirlings, Katanning, Broomehill, Kojonup, Cranbrook, Borden, Gnowangerup, Arthur River | Snow fell in the early morning at many towns including Katanning, Kojonup, Cranbrook, Borden, Gnowangerup and Arthur River. At Broomehill there were reports of 40 per cent of crops damaged with 5 cm of snow. Katanning registered a maximum temperature of just 7°C. Snow was 20 cm deep at the top of Bluff Knoll, and remained 2-3 days. Nothing like it had fallen in the Stirlings since June 1981; elsewhere it was the heaviest snow since 1952. More details > |
| 1992 | Aug 28 | Stirlings, Mt Barker, Katanning | A crisp layer of snow at Bluff Knoll remained on the ground until the next day. Light falls were recorded at Mt Barker (two falls of ten minutes each) and Katanning. The temperature at Mt Barker at 3 pm was just 5°C. More details > |
| 1992 | Aug 16 | Stirlings | About 5 cm snow fell at Bluff Knoll. More details > |
| 1991 | Sep 15 | Stirlings | Light snow fell on the higher peaks |
| 1991 | Jun 27 | Stirlings | Snow was reported on the higher peaks. Albany reported a daytime maximum of 7.8°C |
| 1990 | Jul 23 | Stirlings, Kojonup, other areas | About 25 mm of snow fell on Bluff Knoll while light falls were reported further north towards Kojonup. Reports of snow from throughout the south of the state Newspaper article (The West Australian, July 24th 1990) |
| 1989 | Jul 07 | Stirlings | A light fall of snow was reported |
| 1988 | Oct 19 | Stirlings | A light fall of snow was recorded on Bluff Knoll |
| 1986 | Aug 12 | Stirlings, near Kambalda | A moderate fall was reported at Bluff Knoll, down to 850m. South of Kambalda, snow was reported falling and melting on reaching the ground. The temperature at Kalgoorlie at midday was just 6.4°C Newspaper article (The West Australian, Aug 13th 1986) |
| 1986 | Jul 15 | Stirlings, Porongorups | A moderate fall of snow was reported, down to 700m level on Bluff Knoll Newspaper articles: July 16th and July 19th (The West Australian) |
| 1981 | Jun 22 | Stirlings | A heavy snow fall was reported |
| 1981 | Jun 08 | Stirlings, Porongorups | Light snow was reported |
| 1979 | Sep 26 | Stirlings | Snow was recorded |
| 1979 | Jul 20 | Stirlings | Moderate to heavy snowfall was reported on Bluff Knoll |
| 1978 | Jul 25 | Stirlings, Tambellup | Snow was reported |
| 1978 | Jul 21 | Stirlings, Porongorups, Greenbushes | Greenbushes recorded snow at 8 am. Other reports were from the Stirling and Porongorup Ranges |
| 1976 | Nov 12 | Stirlings, Porongorups | Snow was recorded between 6 and 9 am in the district |
| 1976 | Jul 27 | Esperance | Snow was reported |
| 1975 | Jul 31 | Stirlings | Snow was reported |
| 1973 | Aug 06 | Cranbrook, Tambellup, Narrogin | Heavy snow was reported at Cranbrook between 2 and 4 am, and also at Narrogin and Tambellup |
| 1971 | Sep 24 | Gnowangerup, Ongerup, Newdegate, near Pemberton | Heavy falls of snow were reported from Gnowangerup and Ongerup in the late morning. Other reports extended from near Pemberton to Newdegate |
| 1970 | Sep 02 | Stirlings, Porongorups, Ongerup | Snow was reported extending to Ongerup |
| 1970 | Apr 20 | Kojaneerup | Light snow was reported |
| 1969 | Jul 03 | Kojaneerup | Light snow was reported |
| 1968 | Oct 05 | Stirlings, Porongorups, Perth Hills | Apart from reports in the Stirlings and Porongorup areas, snow was reported in the Perth hills suburbs of Karragullen, Bickley, Carmel and Carilla |
| 1968 | Sep 23 | Stirlings | Snow was reported |
| 1968 | Aug 27 | Tenterden, other Great Southern | Many towns in the southern Great Southern district received about 1 cm of snow although Tenterden near Cranbrook reported one inch (2.5 cm) |
| 1968 | Aug 17 | Stirlings | Snow was reported |
| 1968 | May 01 | Kojaneerup | Snow was reported |
| 1967 | Aug 27 | Kojaneerup | Snow was reported |
| 1967 | Aug 09 | Kojaneerup | Snow was reported |
| 1966 | Sep 19 | Porongorups | Snow was reported |
| 1966 | Jul 26 | Norseman | A light fall of snow was reported, melting on reaching ground |
| 1966 | Jul 23 | Stirlings | A light fall of snow was reported |
| 1966 | Jun 27 | Coolgardie | A light fall of snow was reported |
| 1965 | Jun 29 | Porongorups, Manjimup, Greenbushes, Bridgetown, near Dwellingup | Apart from the Porongorup district, snow was reported in the southwest towns of Manjimup where the depth of snow was one inch (2.5 cm), Greenbushes, Bridgetown and even as far north as near Dwellingup |
| 1956 | Jun 26 | Perth Hills, Goomalling, Bencubbin, Toodyay, New Norcia and throughout wheatbelt | Snow was reported over a large area, ranking as one of the most widespread events since European settlement. There were widespread reports throughout the wheatbelt between 7 and 10 am including Goomalling, Bencubbin, Toodyay and New Norcia in addition to southern areas. There were reports of snow from the Perth hills suburbs of Roleystone, Mt Helena and Bedfordale. At Geraldton there were reports of snowflakes falling with rain. The maximum temperature was just 6.3°C at Wongan Hills, and 8.8°C at Perth, the lowest ever maximum temperature since records began in 1897. More details > |
| 1946 | Aug 10 | Stirlings | Snow was reported |
| 1946 | Jun 26 | Stirlings | Snow was reported |
| 1944 | Sep 20 | Borden, Amelup | Light snow was reported from Amelup and Borden |
| 1943 | Jul 27 | Borden, Amelup | A heavy fall of snow was reported from Amelup and Borden |
| 1943 | Jul 13 | Borden | A light fall of snow was reported from Borden |
| 1942 | Oct 03 | Dumbleyung, Tambellup, Kukerin | Dumbleyung, Tambellup, and Kukerin reported snow during the day |
| 1941 | Oct 17 | Porongorups, Mt Barker | A light snowfall was reported |
| 1941 | Sep 26 | Porongorups | Snow was reported |
| 1939 | Oct 06 | Porongorups | |
| 1939 | Oct 04 | Porongorups | Heavy snowfalls were recorded on the 4th and 6th. In the latter case snow covered the ground to a depth of 2 to 3 inches (5 - 7.5 cm) |
| 1937 | Sep 17 | Stirlings | Snow covered the ground |
| 1937 | Jul 03 | Stirlings | Snow was reported |
| 1936 | Sep 13 | Kendenup, Kojonup, Kukerin, Williams, Quindanning | Snow was reported from a number of sites including Kendenup, Kojonup, Kukerin and Williams. At Quindanning, near Williams, the ground was reputedly covered for "several miles with an inch or two of snow" |
| 1932 | Aug 02 | Greenbushes, Mt Barker, Pingelly, Brookton | Light snow was reported from a number of areas including Pingelly, Greenbushes, Mt Barker, and as far north as Brookton |
| 1928 | May 31 | Stirlings, Porongorups | Generally light falls were reported in the district. There was enough snow at the Porongorups to build a snowman |
| 1926 | Sep 02 | Porongorups | Light snowfalls occurred at a few places around the Porongorups |
| 1924 | Oct 02 | Arthur River | Snow was recorded at 3.15pm |
| 1923 | Nov 18 | Dumbleyung | Enough snow fell from 6 to 8 am and enough remained on the ground to make snowballs |
| 1923 | Sep 19 | Narrogin, Lake Grace, widespread throughout Great Southern | Snowfalls were widespread throughout the region between 5 and 9 am. Snow fell as far north as Narrogin and covered the ground over a wide area. There was sufficient snow at Lake Grace for snowballing to be prevalent |
| 1923 | Jun 29 | Stirlings, Broomehill, Nyabing, adjacent Great Southern area | Heavy falls occurred between 5 and 9 am covered the Stirling Ranges and surrounding areas with a blanket snow. Snow remained on the Stirling Ranges for four days. There were many other reports from the adjacent Great Southern area. At Broomehill snow fell for half an hour at 9 am. Further north at Nyabing, a light fall melted very quickly |
| 1923 | Jun 08 | Katanning, Wongan Hills, other areas | Light falls were reported throughout many areas of the southwest. Snow fell in small quantities throughout the day at Katanning but most reports indicate brief falls of snow that quickly melted. There was even a report of light snow east of Wongan Hills, one of the most northern reports of snow ever recorded |
| 1920 | Aug 07 | Kojonup, Nyabing, Dumbleyung, Tammin, east of York | Falls were reported at Kojonup lasting over half an hour in total. Other light falls were reported around Nyabing, Dumbleyung and as far north as Tammin and east of York |
| 1920 | Jun 29 | Mt Barker, Tambellup, Kendenup | Snow fell in the Mt Barker-Tambellup districts during the morning. About one inch (2.5 cm) of snow covered the ground at Kendenup. The effects of these falls were noticeable in the year by the retardation of the growth of crops |
| 1910 | Aug 08 | Albany, Collie | Snow was recorded and hailstorms were experienced in Albany. A very light fall of snow was reported in Collie |
| 1910 | Jun 30 | Mt Barker | Snow and sleet fell for 2 hours in the afternoon and then later at 10pm |
| 1909 | May 29 | Mt Barker | Snow fell |
| 1908 | Sep 08 | Tambellup | The ground and trees were covered in snow |
| 1908 | Broomehill, Kojonup | A heavy fall of snow was recorded in August | |
| 1907 | Broomehill, Katanning | A light fall of snow was reported in August | |
| 1903 | Oct 10 | Snow fell at a few places in the southwest | |
| 1901 | Oct 23 | Narrogin | Snow and frost affected crops |
| 1901 | east of Esperance | Snow was reported inland from Israelite Bay early in early June | |
| 1900 | Sep 17 | Kojonup, west of Katanning, Narrogin, Nyabing, Bridgetown, Broomehill, Williams, Greenbushes, Wandering, Arthur River, Kurnalpi | Snow was reported in many areas of the southwest. A heavy fall was reported from Kojonup and other localities west of Katanning between 5 and 7am. Other reports include: Narrogin snow fell for 8 or 9 mins and remained on the ground for 20 mins; Nyabing between 6.35am and 7.15am, lay on ground for 1/2 hour; Bridgetown (where it was 2 cm deep); Broomehill at day break, Williams, Greenbushes (snow fell throughout night and remained on the ground for 4 hours 7.5 cm deep), Wandering and Arthur River (heavy). There was even a report at Kurnalpi, northeast of Kalgoorlie |
| 1900 | Sep 10 | Greenbushes, Narrogin, Darkan, Kojonup, Broomehill, Arthur River, Wandering | Three inches (7.5 cm) of snow fell and remained on the ground for over four hours at Greenbushes. It appears to be one of the most extensive falls recorded in the state until that time |
| 1899 | Jul 12 | Mt Barker, Kojonup, Broomehill, Balgarup, Jarrahdale, Mundaring, Gooseberry Hill | Snow was reported |
| 1898 | Jul 28 | Boorabbin | Snow fell between 11am and midday and the weather was extremely cold |
| 1898 | Jun 12 | Wagin | Snow fell at Lime Lake and the weather was extremely cold |
| 1897 | Aug 11 | Wagin | Light snow fell and the weather was extremely cold |
| 1897 | Aug 10 | Southern Cross | Very light fall was recorded at 10am and melted as soon as it touched the ground. Heavier fall occurred later that day |
| 1896 | Southern Cross | A brief snow fall occurred in October | |
| 1893 | Sep 10 | Porongorups | Heavy fall of snow (5 cm deep) was recorded at Wattle Hill |
| 1887 | Jul 29 | Chittering | Snowstorm occurred lasting 3/4 hour. The flakes were described as about the size of a shilling (2 cm across) |
| 1881 | Jun 21 | Porongorups | Snow covered the Porongorup Range to a depth of several feet in places |
| 1880 | Aug 13 | Manjimup | Large snowflakes fell for ten minutes |
| 1868 | A snowfall was reported in the lower southwest | ||
| 1846 | Aug 11 | Gordon River (near Cranbrook) | The ground was covered by snow |
