Why is snow not abound in Australia?

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aviatenavigatecommunicate

Australia's position near the equator does have something to do with it, however it isn't the entire reason why Australia doesn't get comparable snow to the Northern Hemisphere (as Australia is a huge country and the southern part of Australia is actually a great distance from the equator).

Australia is the driest permanently inhabited continent (only Antarctica is drier).

A significant part of central Australia is arid or semi arid, so there is very little precipitation in those parts for a significant part of the year.

Furthermore, on average, Australia is the flattest continent, with an average elevation above sea level of only 300 metres. Elevation affects levels of snow much more than location relative to the equator. To illustrate my point, the Himalayas are much closer to the equator that Australia's tallest mountains, yet Mt Everest is covered with snow year-round (even in the height of summer, Mt Everest is still covered in snow)

Australia's mountains are not very tall by world standards. Mt Kosciusko is Australia's tallest mountain and it's only 2,228 metres high. Mt Everest is 8,848 Metres tall in comparison.

And you'd be surprised; despite Australia's stereotypical image of deserts, beaches, heat and sun, Australia still has many ski fields, and Perisher Blue (Australia's largest ski resort) is also the largest ski resort in the southern hemisphere.

If you travelled to the Australian Alps in winter, snow would be very conspicuously present!

Pom

lol im wonder why haven got snow in thailand to..

someguy

Because it's closer to the equator. and areas closer to the equator have more solar radiation witch meanst that the sun is strongest towards the midline of the earth, making it hooter.

Asgre

Its not high enough nor is Australia far enough away from the equator. We do not suffer extreme below zero temps that our more northern and higher altitude countries do. That's not saying that places don't get cold here, because they do, just not as cold as they do.

Bored

The it's not about global warming but altitude, (although global warming does have it's affects on snow i.e. requiring higher altitudes for snow to fall etc). BUT did you know the small area in Australia which is snow covered in winter is approximately six times larger then Switzerland ?? It's a BIG COUNTRY great name for a song.

asmoothoperator_ishere

Our great land of australia....is one of the oldest continents in the world.
our mountain range is however one of the lowest, our large internal land mass radiates a lot of heat (being a desert) and we are relatively close to the equator as stated. Therefore our so called temperature lows would be the equivalent of a nice day to some of the European countries.
tis the way things are here in australia......there be no white christmas this year in AUSTRALIA

cubalishus

My auntie lives in Tasmania and they most certainly have snow were she is.

Judith of the Never Never

Our land is too close to the equator, and is too flat, check out the geography or whatever, we don't have the high mountains over here to be snow covered all year. Only in the dead of winter for a few months, and you know what, we like it like that, if we want to ski somewhere close, we go to New Zealand!

Iskandar

Because it's so hot here. Snow wouldn't fall because it is too hot for snow to form. It snows in Europe because Europe is closer to the north pole. It will only snow in Italy in the Apls, that is because of the altitude.

No.... it's not global warming, It hasn't snowed in Australia like it has in europe for (probably) hundreds of thousands of years.

There was an ice age 10,000 years ago, we must have been emitting too much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere then...

Seriously...

alan m

maybe the snow does not like the heat or desert.

duplicity

It never has, in living memory, snowed much in Australia, we are just too close to the equator and so the temperatures are too warm unless, like you said, your at higher elevations.

SafÃ¿re

Australia is the driest (permanently inhabited) continent on the planet. Only Antarctica registers less precipitation.

In other words, it gets cold enough (in parts) of Australia, however there's insufficient moisture... therefore there's no snow -- or sleet, flurries, or hail for that fact.

Bella B

Australia is far closer to the equator than Europe.

The top of Tasmania is at 40 degrees south. Madrid and Naples are sitting on 40 degrees north. Tasmania finishes at like 45 degrees south. Most of Europe is above this.

Australia is therefore warmer than Europe and far drier for the most part....

kailie

have you ever heard of the equator???

Jabba_da_hut_07

I could ask the same question about the sahara desert, or why the artic never gets hot summers of 30+!!

laplandfan

Actually there are the Snowy mountains that really does have snow!

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