HAIL and snow covered the ground yesterday morning after temperatures went into free fall across the Central West.
Oberon, Lithgow, Wallerawang and Fitzgeralds Mount, at the western end of the central western snow belt, were pelted by hail and snow from about 6am, turning the ground white in the space of 20 minutes.
Residents of Oberon and Lidsdale both reported similar experiences, with hail giving way to light snow between 6am and 7am, turning roads to ice. Motorists travelling from the west through Bathurst said Fitzgeralds Mount was wearing a light dusting of snow, enough to carpet the ground.
State Emergency Services in Bathurst yesterday reported no calls but said Portland SES answered two calls for assistance without any reports of serious damage or accidents.
The Weather Bureau had warned of a strong cold front combined with the passage of a upper trough bringing cool, gusty southerly wind and showers to our region.
“There was thunder when the storm hit Oberon about 5am,” Maureen Lawson said.
“I’m up at 5.30am every day and heard the storm coming. It hailed down for a good 20 minutes and settled, turning the ground white.
“There was hail all over our lawn as the storm came and wen,t giving way to sleet and light rain.
“I left Oberon for Bathurst about 7am, the temperature had dropped, it was freezing, with ice from the hail storm everywhere.
“Hail covered our lawns, paddocks around Oberon and the road to Bathurst. There was ice everywhere west to Oberon Mount where it seemed the storm had started.”
Ms Lawson said it was a freakish storm that dumped the hail and brought with it a sudden, freezing change in temperature.
It was much the same story from Michelle Jackson who woke up at Lidsdale, to the west of Lithgow, where there was a combination of hail and sleet making roads icy as she drove to Lithgow to work yesterday morning.
Temperatures started to crash after Bathurst basked in sunshine, hitting a summery maximum of 26.3 Celsius and 12.4C minimum in 24 hours on Monday.
But the mercury was heading in a downward trajectory by Tuesday, with a 7-8 degree C decline to a maximum 19 degrees C.
Yesterday the overnight minimum in Bathurst was down to 5.2 degrees C, a drop of more than 7 degrees C in 48 hours.
It remained extremely cold, with some isolated showers, throughout yesterday fanned by a fresh, gusty southerly wind.
Temperatures in the region yesterday ranged from 11 degrees C in Lithgow, Oberon and Katoomba to 15 in Bathurst and 16 at Mudgee.
In Bathurst it was nearly 10 degrees colder yesterday compared to Monday, mostly due to snow above 1000 metres.
The freeze was reflected in the 9am temperature on Monday being 17.4C and only 7C yesterday. Cold wind caused most discomfort in the Bathurst district, continuing in 30km/h gusts most of the day.
Some overnight frost was predicted last night, with isolated showers to the east as the south to south-easterly wind eases.
Tomorrow should be fine with a return to warmer days continuing through until Tuesday when the Bureau is predicting we could have a 29 Celsius maximum temperature reading, something the region has not experienced since last summer.
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