From: Steve (Primus) (Avatar) 30/10/2001 5:53:25 Subject: re: STEVE'S WEATHER FAQ post id: 476428 Is it true that the temperature is coldest right before snow falls? If it's true, why? If you are in a snowy area - the Snowy Mountains for instance - then snow can fall at most temperatures close to and below 0°C. The very coldest temperatures occur on clear calm nights and Australia's lowest recorded temperature, -23°C at Charlotte Pass, occurred on such a night. In areas less likely to get snow - such as the Blue Mountains in NSW - snow will fall if the temperature gets low enough and the conditions are right for snow clouds. A strong southerly outbreak will bring the cloud and the low temperatures. In these conditions rain, then sleet, then snow will fall as the temperature gets lower. It is not necessarily warmer after the snow starts but often the wind will drop which makes it seem warmer.