Heavy snow in Australia causes chaos on roads

[senorpepr]

Heavy snow is expected to keep falling on the New South Wales Snowy Mountains overnight, resulting in a number of road closures.

Conditions are expected to worsen as the temperature drops and the snow on roads turns to ice.
Heavy snow is falling on all the ski resorts, from Jindabyne to Perisher. The wind is reportedly picking up on the mountain tops.

Severe winds and heavy swells are also expected along much of the state's coast overnight.
Virtually all roads have been closed south of Cooma.
Police have issued a warning urging motorists to avoid driving in these conditions.
Local police say there have been numerous car accidents and several cars have reportedly been abandoned on the side of the road.

Many roads, including the Snowy Mountains Highway, are closed because they are too treacherous for travel.
Exit roads from the resorts will remain open overnight.
Inspector Neil Gray from the Monaro Local Area Command has asked motorists to be patient when trying to exit the snow fields.

"We've experienced fairly heavy snow falls around the alpine areas, which have resulted in a number of road closures," he said.

"A number of vehicles have been abandoned, as well as some accidents.
"At the moment we've got the Snowy Mountains Highway closed between Cooma and Bemboka. Also, the Bonang Highway between Delegate and Bomballa.

"[We're] experiencing difficulty in conditions on the roads towards most of the ski resorts."
Meanwhile, snow has forced the closure of a number of roads in the Victorian high country.
More than 20 centimeters of snow fell at Mount Hotham on Saturday, forcing the closure of the Great Alpine Highway from Harrietville to Mount Hotham.

VicRoads says the Great Alpine Highway will be closed until Sunday morning.
In the east of the state, Vicroads has closed the Monaro Highway at Cann River after heavy snowfalls at Bombala and Nimitable blocked the road to Canberra.

Allan Eunson from the State Emergency Service at Cann River says it is still snowing heavily north of the border.
He expects the Monaro Highway to be closed at least until Sunday morning.
"A number of vehicles have gone over the edge," he said.
"We've just had a four-wheel-drive up there, who's towed one vehicle out.
"The danger is it being dark and at night, with the road closed, if a car goes over the edge and people are stranded up there it's going to be very cold for quite a while."

Meanwhile, a surf warning has been issued by the weather bureau for the New South Wales coast.
Waves in excess of five meters are expected to produce severe beach erosion on the state's south coast - from Moruya Heads to Smoky Cape - tonight and tomorrow.

People living on the water between the south coast and the mid north coast are advised to check their property regularly for erosion or inundation by sea water.

The bureau says water levels above the highest tide of the year are possible.