World news | The Guardian
· collected 2026-09-05 · by Graham Readfearn Environment and climate correspondent
Australian ski resorts are closing up to a month early due to heat waves and limited snowfall caused by an El Niño event and global heating. Seven major resorts have either closed or announced they will stop operating this weekend, with two remaining open in New South Wales. The Victorian resorts of Mount Buller, Mount Hotham, and Falls Creek are among those closing, while the season typically runs until the first weekend of October. Dr Andrew Watkins, a climate scientist, attributes the poor ski season to El Niño and climate change, which have led to warm temperatures and rain instead of snow.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-05,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Australian ski resorts are closing up to a month early due to record-breaking heat and limited snowfall, with seven out of nine major resorts in Victoria and New South Wales announcing their ski operations will end this weekend. Resorts typically aim to stay open until the first weekend of October, but warm weather conditions have made it impossible. This winter has seen long periods of high pressure in the Tasman Sea directing warmer air from the north over alpine regions, as well as relatively warm nights due to cloud cover and moist soils. The heat is consistent with a developing strong El Niño, according to a Bureau spokesperson, which combined with global heating to create a "challenging" ski season. Dr Andrew Watkins, a climate scientist, blames the problems on both El Niño and climate change, saying this was the fourth disappointing season since 2020. Two major NSW resorts, Perisher and Thredbo, remain open.
Written for “Australian Ski Resort Closures” on 2026-09-07,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Major Australian alpine resorts are closing their ski operations up to a month early after a winter that broke multiple records for heat with limited snow falls being washed away by rain.
asserted
that → close → rain
Predictions in June that a building El Niño could combine with global heating for a challenging ski season came to pass, with seven resorts either already closed or announcing ski lifts will stop operating this weekend.
uncertain
lifts → build → season
This week the Victorian resorts of Mount Buller, Mount Hotham and Falls Creek, together with Charlotte Pass in New South Wales, all announced ski operations would end this weekend.
asserted
operations → announce → Wales
The Victorian resort of Mount Baw Baw, the NSW resort at Selwyn and Tasmania’s Ben Lomond have already closed.
asserted
resort → close → Selwyn
Resorts typically aim to stay open until the first weekend of October.
asserted
Resorts → aim → October
Resorts blamed “challenging” weather conditions and lack of snowfall.
asserted
Resorts → blame → snowfall
Two other major NSW resorts at Perisher and Thredbo remain open.
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resorts → remain → Perisher
This was the fourth disappointing season since 2020,” said Dr Andrew Watkins, a climate scientist and adjunct professor at the Monash University and a science adviser to the campaign group Protect our Winters.
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Watkins → say → Winters
The heat just did us in.”
asserted
heat → do → us
Watkins, who is also a keen skier, said winter temperatures had been too high and precipitation that might have fallen as snow, had instead fallen as rain.
uncertain
that → say → rain
It melts it and then washes it away,” he said.
asserted
he → melt → it
Data from the Bureau of Meteorology show Falls Creek and Mount Hotham had their wettest winters in more than 30 years but, together with Mount Buller, they also had their warmest winters on record for average maximum and minimum temperatures.
asserted
they → show → temperatures
Watkins said data from weather observations at Cabramurra in Kosciuszko national park suggested alpine winters had warmed by about 2C since the 1960s.
uncertain
winters → say → 1960s
He said that temperature rise would have been the difference between precipitation falling as rain instead of snow.
asserted
precipitation → say → rain
“It would have been a bumper season if it had been 50 years ago,” he said.
asserted
he → say → ?
The El Niño currently in place in the Pacific Ocean can promote hotter and drier temperatures in Australia’s south-east in winter and spring.
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Niño → promote → winter
This week the bureau forecast the current El Niño would be the strongest on record and Australian scientists said climate change had made the strength of the event six times more likely.
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strength → forecast → event
A bureau spokesperson said this winter’s heat was consistent “with a developing strong El Niño” and the season had seen long periods of high pressure in the Tasman Sea that directed warmer air from the north over alpine regions.
“But winter 2026 also experienced relatively warm nights, with cloud cover and moist soils resulting in less overnight cooling,” the spokesperson said.
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spokesperson → say → cooling
This is all occurring against the background of a globally warmer climate, with daily global surface air temperatures since June close to or above the record levels in 2024.”
New South Wales, Tasmania and Victoria all recorded their hottest winters on record this year.
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Wales → occur → record
In July, many ski resorts broke all-time heat records for the month with temperatures during one hot spell up to 12C above average.
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resorts → break → average
Climate scientists have been warning for decades that global heating will create a challenging future for Australia’s ski resorts and alpine habitats.
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heating → warn → resorts
Josh Elliott, chief executive at the representative body Snow Resorts Australia, said there was “no question it has been a challenging season for natural snowfall”.
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it → say → snowfall
“This winter was shaped by a combination of abnormally warm weather and climatic variability, but it’s important to remember that in any outdoor environment, that variability can result in some seasons being better than others.
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seasons → shape → others
“This is an abnormal season and shouldn’t be considered in isolation as a reflection of what future seasons will look like.”
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seasons → consider → what
He said skiing, snowboarding and snow play had still been available in NSW, Victoria and the ACT “since the June long weekend, with all resorts across Australia operating through the July school holidays and beyond”.
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resorts → say → holidays
“What this season has shown is the importance and value of the investment resorts have made in snow making, with underlying demand for snow holidays remaining strong through July and August.”
asserted
demand → show → July
