A heatwave is forecast for the Illawarra later this week, as a photo of cars carrying “snow” down Macquarie Pass does the rounds on social media.
The photo, reproduced by Lost Illawarra courtesy of the Wollongong Library collection, was taken after heavy snow blocked the Illawarra Highway at Robertson in the winter of 1947.
Region Illawarra historian Joe Davis said the white stuff atop the cars, and the highway blockage culprit, is unlikely to be actual snow.
“It tends to be hail in all those photos,” he said.
“On very rare occasions just at the top of the mountains we get a sort of snow. It appears white on the escarpment and is pretty amazing when it happens.
“It can get very cold, but it’s usually hail or tiny bits of sleet that fall rather than acres of true snow.”
Joe supplied a couple of photos he dates to an earlier “snow” event in 1932 that saw Panorama House surrounded by a carpet of white.
A report from the Goulburn Evening Penny Post on Monday 1 August 1932 said a hailstorm along a narrow strip of the South Coast damaged windows and gardens.
“Within half an hour the whole countryside was covered by hail, at some places to a depth of three or four feet,” the report read.
“Roads were rendered temporarily impassable by the rapid accumulation of hailstones. The Bulli Pass was for a time impassable.
“After a long wait, many cars were forced to take the lower road.”
Snow, sleet or hail are unlikely to fall any time soon, however.
The Bureau of Meteorology has warned a heatwave will cover Victoria and a large part of NSW over coming days.
Maximum temperatures will be in the high 20s to mid 30s over the southeast.
Overnight minimum temperatures over the southeast will be in the low to mid teens and are expected to increase to the mid teens to low 20s over the weekend.
Locations likely to be impacted include Albury, Batemans Bay, Bega, Braidwood, Bombala, Eden, Nowra and Narrandera.
The Illawarra forecast for Saturday 4 January to Monday 6 January is for overnight temperatures in the low 20s, and daytime maximums in the high 20s to low 30s.
Heatwave conditions are expected to peak on Sunday and Monday then ease with a cool change later Monday.