A blast of cold, wintry weather has brought the year's first significant snow to the alpine areas. In the wake of a cold front a very cold airmass moved over southeast Australia during Thursday evening, causing showers to fall as snow across the alps. It was as cold as minus four degrees in Mt Hotham, where a couple of centimetres of snow settled on the slopes. This was the chilliest night since last October. Falls Creek and Mt Buller both dropped to an icy minus three degrees, their coldest night since Spring. The Snowy Mountains also had a dusting overnight, after Thredbo chilled to below minus three degrees. Mt Ginni in the ACT dropped to minus two. For many parts of NSW it was the coldest night since Spring. In Tassie, snow fell on Mount Wellington and other peaks. It is not unusual to see snow during April, with falls possible on the alps throughout the year. In fact, the VIC alps saw flurries of snow during January, just one day after Sydney hit 42 degrees. Further light snow showers are likely on Friday and Saturday, before a building high causes showers to clear. The clearer skies and lighter winds will lead to further cold nights. The snow season officially opens on the Queen's Birthday weekend in June.