"But it's very fine, but more than hail, and fluttering down.
"I get really excited with snow, even in winter. But in summer it's even more special, I think."Mrs Hattinger said snow had been forecast down to 1,100 metres so it wasn't a complete surprise.
"I had been keeping an ear out for it," she said.
"How we know is it gets really quiet, so at about 5:40 this morning it
got really quiet and I stuck my nose out and it was snowing."
She said many guests at the hotel missed the wintery display with the snow melting as the sun came up.
"I did feel like going and knocking at the door saying 'oh look, snow!'," she said.
The Great Lakes District bore the brunt of snowfall during one of Tasmania's coldest winters in decades in 2015.
The snow has been spurred by a cold front moving across the state.
WATCH: Snow and fires lash parts of Tasmania.
While it is not uncommon to see summer snow in parts of Tasmania the
Bureau of Meteorology is not expecting any further flutters.
"We've seen the cold front move well away to the east now over the Tasman sea," forecaster Debbie Tabor told 936 ABC Hobart.
"We're left with this south-westerly air stream for the rest of today
and tomorrow, easing right off late tomorrow and into Thursday.
"We'll see a cold day in the south today and cool in the north — a little bit different, flushing out that heat and humidity." - ABC Australia.
February 3, 2016 - TASMANIA, AUSTRALIA - A refuge has been set up at the Triabunna council chambers for those stranded in the area.
The Tasman Highway between Buckland and Orford has been closed
due to flooding and landslides, as has the highway a kilometre north of
Triabunna.
One holiday-maker, who asked not to be named, said he and his young
family were stuck on the other side of the Orford Rivulet, which was now
a torrent.
He had been forced to walk into town for supplies, crossing the river via the beach.
"I spoke to the police and they said just to sit tight — the road south
is closed and they don't know how long that will be the case for, " he
said.
"They told me there was no point trying to get out at his stage."
WATCH: Floods and fires in Tasmania.
UPDATE: TASMANIA Police are urging motorists to drive to the conditions as flood waters continue to cause more road closures.
Inspector Doug Rossiter, of the South-East Division, said that there
were a number of road closures currently in place, including the Tasman
Highway between Orford and Runnymede and the Tasman Highway at Bicheno
just north of Apsley River. The Tasman Highway north of Swansea at
Meredith River is expected to open soon for four-wheel drive vehicles
only.
"Please check road closures before you set out and avoid any roads that are flooded or affected by water," he said.
2PM UPDATE:Residents on the East
Coast have battened down as they prepare for more storms, which have
closed the highway between Hobart and Orford.
Glamorgan Spring Bay Mayor Michael Kent, who has taken refuge at the
Gateway Cafe with other Orford locals and tourists, said Tasmania Police
had just closed the Tasman Highway at Orford because of a rockfall.
Businesses such as the Orford pub and golf club and the Triabunna IGA
have closed due to flooding damage and the road to Spring Beach is also
closed.
The East Coast will continue to be hammered with torrential rain, winds and thunder and lightning over the next two days.
"Two weeks ago we were screaming for water and now we've got that much we don't know what to do with it," Cr Kent said.
Gray resident Michelle Kaal said she and daughter Brittany were woken up at 3.30am this morning when their house was shaking.
"The thunder and lightning was really right on top of the house - it
was literally shaking with it and there were a couple of lots of
lightning that lit up the whole house," she said.
Gray, located just south of St Marys, had around 362mm of rain
in just over 48 hours to 9am today and is one of many East Coast towns
suffering through record rainfalls.
"We might have to blow up the dinghy in the shed and get some oars to go into town today," Mrs Kaal said.
"Once the rain actually stops, usually the bulk of it disappears within 24 hours."
TasNetworks said lightning strikes and fallen power lines had caused widespread power outages across the state, with around 1500 people currently without power.
For all current outages and estimated restoration times visit: www.tasnetworks.com.au/current-power-outages
Bureau of Meteorology spokesman Malcolm Riley said about30 daily records were broken yesterday for rainfall in January, mostly in the north and along the east coast.
He said the event was far from over.
"Every year or two we get a decent east coast rain event and this is a
premier league sort of situation and it's got a long way to run so it
may be one very much of note," he said.
"This is just the way things tend to happen on the East Coast — every now and then they get an
absolute dumping of rain.
"Our forecasts have backed off a bit for tomorrow but have increased for Sunday.
Flooding at Orford on the East Coast.The Orford Bowls Club under water.
"The sea temperatures off our east and north coast are about two degrees
above normal so that's actually providing a bit of extra energy to this
system."
Mr Riley said Launceston, Westbury Meander, Strath Bridge,
Friendly Beaches and Cressy all recorded their highest daily rainfall
total for all time yesterday.
The town of Gray, just south of St Marys, had around 362mm of rain in just over 48 hours to 9am today.
St Marys Hotel barman Rodney Spilsbury said flooding in the town this morning reached about three meters deep.
"The main street above the hotel going out towards St Mary's pass was in full flood," he said.
"All the street and the vicinity which they call 'the flat' was one
sheet of water, but it's all dropped now. It happened quickly, but they
reckon there's more on the way so we're just waiting."
Meanwhile bushfire ravaged Temma in the northwest was isolated after the fire damaged the only bridge into the area.
Without the bridge, residents of Temma and Couta Rocks remain cut off from the rest of the state.
Currently, the only way out of the area is by boat.
Bureau of Meteorology spokesman Malcolm Riley said the heaviest areas of
rainfalls were in the northwest away from the northeast fire front.
"Unfortunately not a lot got into the fire area — only about 1mm or so," he said late yesterday.
WATER RESTRICTIONS Despite the downpours, Mole Creek is the latest town to be placed on water restrictions today.
TasWater regional services department manager Mark McConnon said the
impact of prolonged dry conditions continued to have an impact on the
North West town despite rain in the past 24 hours.
"Recent bushfires in the area saw an increase in consumption over the
last week and the inflow into the weir has not been able to keep up with
demand," Mr McConnon said.
Mole Creek joins Campbell Town/Ross, Triabunna, Orford and Launceston on stage one restrictions.
Bridport, Swansea, Colebrook, Currie and Whitemark remain on stage two water restrictions.
Thunderstorms and heavy rain, which may lead to flash flooding, are forecast for the same areas today and over the weekend.
Rainfall totals of 50-100mm were expected in the North East today, with
rain also increasing on the East Coast this morning and a flood watch
continuing for all North and Eastern river basins. Higher rain totals
are possible around elevated areas.
Meanwhile, firefighters and drought-stricken farmers could take heart
from the latest Bureau of Meteorology outlook for the February to April
period issued yesterday.
The Climate Outlook Overview indicates that rainfall is likely to be
above average in central and southern Australia and drier than average
in the far north.
- SeeMoreRocks.
"Heavenly shades of night are falling, it's twilight time, Out of the mist your voice is calling, it is twilight time, When purple colored curtains mark the end of day, I'll hear you, my dear, at twilight time,..." - Twilight Time, The Platters.
"Purple Haze all in my eyes, don't know if it's day or night, you've got me blowing, blowing my mind, is it tomorrow or just the end of time?" - Purple Haze, Jimi Hendrix.
December 21, 2015 - TASMANIA, AUSTRALIA - The Tasmanian sky came to life on December 20 when “aurora australis” – the southern equivalent of the Northern Lights – amazed watchers with a spectacular display of colors as clear skies offered a clear view of the dazzling display.
The lights were promised over the weekend following a coronal mass ejection from the sun but few Australians expected the strength in which they came.
Aurora australis was so powerful that sky watchers in the city of Hobart could see the spectacle despite light-pollution in the area.
Aurora australis is caused when charged particles from the sun strike atoms and molecules in Earth’s atmosphere, causing them to light up.
The lights are most commonly seen in the northern hemisphere over Iceland.In very different conditions to snowclad Iceland, Australians were able to see the aurora in relative comfort, with mild nighttime temperatures.
This very lucky cow found a nice empty spot to watch the show.Recent storm clouds had mostly cleared to make way for the light show.
Unfortunately no repeat of the show is expected tonight.
The lights were also visible on mainland Australia, with sky watchers in Victoria treated to the best free show in the world.
February 03, 2013 - AUSTRALIA - The Bureau of Meteorology said both the average mean temperature of 29.68 degrees Celsius (85.42 degrees Fahrenheit) and the average mean maximum temperature of 36.92 Celsius surpassed previous records set in January 1932. The nation's central outback sweltered under a "dome" of heat for much of the month, with the Northern Territory posting its hottest mean temperature on record for January of 31.93 Celsius, the bureau said.
Surfers hit the waves at Bondi beach in Sydney, on January 4, 2013. Australia experienced its hottest month on
record in January, despite floods and storms that devastated parts of the country's east, according to officials.
"The heatwave in the first half of January was exceptional in its extent and duration," it said in a statement released Friday. "The national average maximum temperature on 7 January was the highest on record. Numerous stations set records for the most days in succession above 40 degrees Celsius, including Alice Springs (17 days) and Birdsville (31 days)." The bureau said a large number of weather stations set all-time record high temperatures during the heatwave, including Sydney (45.8 Celsius on January 18) and Hobart (41.8 Celsius on January 4).
The highest temperature recorded during the heatwave was at Moomba in South Australia, which hit a scorching 49.6 Celsius on 12 January. The bureau said the heatwave, which aided bushfires in the eastern states, was followed by extreme rainfall and flooding for some coastal areas of Queensland and New South Wales caused by ex-tropical cyclone Oswald. The rain caused extensive flooding in the Queensland towns of Bundaberg, where some houses were washed away and roads destroyed, and Gladstone among others. "Gladstone received 820 millimetres (32 inches) of rainfall in four days, which exceeded its previous record for a whole month, and more than the annual rainfall recorded in 2011 or 2012," the bureau said. - PHYSORG.
Tasmanians are enduring a summer of extreme weather conditions, with the state experiencing record-breaking hot nights, chilly cold spells, thunderstorms and torrential rain last month.
The temperature in Hobart exceeded 28C for eight days last month, which has only happened twice before: in January 1961 and February 1895. Of those eight days, the temperature exceeded 29C on seven which has never happened before in January. On 12 mornings the minimum temperature didn't fall below 15C, also setting a new January record for the city. January 3 was particularly hot, with Hobart Airport recording its warmest January night on record with 21.2C.
The highest temperature that day was 37.2C at Scamander, more than 15C above its January average. Wynyard Airport recorded its warmest January night on record on the morning of the 30th with 19.9C, while Scamander, Geeveston and Tarraleah all enjoyed their highest January mean daily minimum temperature on record. But Tasmania also experienced unseasonal cold spells, especially in the second week of January when temperatures were 2 to 9C below average and up to 12C below average in the west.
On the 10th, Burnie (16.6C) and Launceston (18.4C) recorded their coldest January day in seven years. Hobart had its coldest January morning in eight years (6.3C) the following morning. Temperatures dropped again at the end of the month, with Hobart shivering through its coldest January day in seven years with 15.4C on the 31st.
Most of the state was relatively dry for most of the month, until a low pressure system on January 30 delivered up to 60mm of rain to the west and south-east. Maatsuyker Island Lighthouse recorded 64.4mm of rain, its wettest January day on record. - The Mercury.
A severe weather warning has been issued across the state of Tasmania in Australia as winds gusts up to 100 kilometres an hour. Tasmania's emergency services say they've responded to hundreds of calls for assistance as the wild weather continues to wreak havoc
The Tasman Highway at the Sideling near Scottsdale in the state's north east has been affected by heavy snowfalls. Police say the road is still passable, but are warning motorists to drive with care. Similar warnings have been issued for the Midland Highway near Oatlands. Damaging winds will continue to batter Tasmania's north west throughout the morning. Tim Bolden from the Bureau of Meteorology says winds will be strong enough to bring down some tree branches and powerlines. "In the north west we're certainly seeing quite a lot of gusts at the moment, not quite as bad in the central north, but overnight we've seen the strongest gust for the north west has been 128 kilometres an hour at Cape Grim or 69 knots," Mr Bolden said.
The State Emergency Service is helping stop flooding in 12 homes in the Hobart suburbs of Howrah, Tranmere and Warrane. The SES's Iain Burns says crews are using plastic sheeting and sandbags to stop overflow from drains or flooding. "The reports that we get from the residents is that there's just flooding coming into their homes either it's coming from storm water run-off or localised flooding," Mr Burns said. Signs warning of flooding are in place at Rosny Hill Road near the Eastlands shopping centre, while the sliplane from Acton Road on the Tasman highway at Cambridge has been closed. Police are also warning motorists of snow falls on the Midlands Highway at Oatlands, while a burst dam has caused flooding over the Huon Highway at Waterloo. The Weather Bureau is warning of further possible flash flooding in the state's south today. It also says south-west to southerly winds strong enough to bring down tree branches and power lines will come from the west at first and spread statewide as the day progresses. The Bureau says strong southerlies will come from a low to the east of the state. It says swells between four and six metres are forecast which may cause dangerous surf about the south-east coast. Ben Lomond ski operator Errol Williams has told ABC Local Radio the northern alpine region has received a good dump of snow over the past four days. "Well we've done a fair bit of grooming on the beginners slope. We have probably the best early cover and base since 1968 at the moment," Mr Williams said. The road leading to the summit of Ben Lomond is closed and will open to the public tomorrow with some lifts expected to be running next week. The Mount Wellington Pinnacle road is also closed at gate 3. - ABC Australia.
