SNOW STORMS IN MELBOURNE.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume X, Issue 1136, 1 September 1882, Page 2

SNOW STORMS IN MELBOURNE.

Ox Wednesday, 20th July, a spectacle of a decidedly novel and. ao far aa ia officially known, unprecedented charaoter, was observed by the citizens of Melbourne and suburbs, vig., a genuine snowfall. It is true that a number of old colonists aver that snow fell on more than one occasion in Melbourne during the flrat decade of Victorian history, but our meteoro. logical records are silent on the point i and My Ellery, the Government as, tronomer, whose recollection extends back to 1861, declares that Wednesday’s snowfall was the first in bin Victorian experience. Altogether, Wednesday, July 20, 1882, was a most exceptional flay in several respects. Its average temperature ia the lowest on record, the thermoneter never having risen above whilst for the greater part of the flay it was as low us B9deg. A lower temperature than the latter has been registered nt the Observatory, but only for a very brief period. The peculiarity about Wednesday consisted m the uniformly |ow temperature that prevailed throughout the day, thp cold being such as is rarely experienced in this southern cluqu. It been raipipg slightly during the previous night, qnd lVfdßPB> day morning opened with evident signs of a continuance of similar weather. But few were prepared for what took place shortly after 8 o’clock, when mingled snow and rain commenced to descend, reviving oldworld memories, and occasioning general expressions of surprise. To young Australians the spectacle of falling snow-flakes filling the air was indeed a new experience, and they were pp. abled to compare the actual reality with the conceptions formed by reading descriptions of similar scenes on the other side of the equator. At about half-past 9 a much heavier fall of snow was observed, the flakes being thicker, and in some planes temporarily whitening a pretty large area, Tho fa'i lasted tor about half-an-hour, during which time large numbers of people in all parts of tho city and suburbs watched the unusual* sight with keen and evident interest. The fall was by no means confined to tfig vicinity of the metronqiig, for aecopfl-. ing tfl I'l-P communications of the “ Argus ” correspondents, supplemented by information from the Observatory, it has extended over the whole south-eastern portion of Aus. tralia, and has also embrappd the elp, vated distripts pf Dfpw Walps. In tne latter po|qny “ heavy snow ■ reported from Mountyictoriq, Carpoar, Walcha, Bondameer, Orange, Aripidale, and Kaindra. At the |qst s mpn ; tionpd towpship t whjph js situated ;q the A|p;np ragion of Xpw Spqtfr Wales, nppr thp Ifpodtwatppe pf th? Sl ?°"7 ®iyp i 'i th? gmnd is ppvprpa with fiQ Inphp* of mew,