Locals call it the "hair dryer". It's a strong, warm northwesterly wind that erodes the Aussie snowpack like a bushfire burns through forest.

Normally you expect the hair dryer to show up in September, or if you're unlucky, around late August. But this year, it's already here on August 4.

After an extremely warm July and an even warmer first three days of August, the hair dryer is in full force across the Australian snowfields, with strong winds and very warm temperatures.

Temperature departure from normal across Australia at lunchtime (central/eastern) today. pic.twitter.com/WuUjPHFRKh

— Andrew Miskelly (@andrewmiskelly) August 4, 2023

• For example Perisher had a minimum temp of 3.4°C last night, staying above 5°C for much of the night with consistent winds gusts well above 50 km/h. Those are pure hair dryer conditions

Look away now if the sight of rapidly growing muddy and grassy patches on ski slopes disturbs you.

Image: Slopes at Mt Buller hanging in there... just. Source: Ski.com.au.

Image: Slopes at Guthega (part of Perisher resort) hanging in there... just. Source: Ski.com.au.

The bad news? It's going to rain later this Friday as a band of moisture arrives before all this warm air has dissipated.

The good news? Some snow is coming overnight and into Saturday morning as the cold front which brought bitterly cold temps to WA finally pays a visit to eastern Australia. Sadly for snow lovers, the front has lost most of its vigour on the way.

READ MORE: WARMEST JULY ON RECORD FOR PARTS OF AUSTRALIA

Earlier this week there was hope that Friday night's snow might repair some of the recent damage to the snowpack, but the definitive answer now is that it won't.

The Australian ski season that started so promisingly is no longer in such great shape. While the picture is grim for resorts at low altitude and the lower slopes of the main resorts, conditions remain reasonable in higher areas.

For example, Australia's two highest resorts Perisher and Thredbo both still have most of their lifts open. Victoria's two highest resorts Falls Creek and Hotham are doing OK too.

Image: Conditions are still pretty good on Mt Perisher, the highest part of Perisher resort, even if some runs like this one were inaccessible on Friday due to chairlifts on wind hold. Source: Ski.com.au.

Let's face it: Any Aussie snow is good snow, so if you're heading down for a slide, enjoy. Click on the links for the latest ski conditions at Thredbo, Perisher, Charlotte Pass, Selwyn (NSW) and Mt Buller, Hotham, Falls Creek and Mt Baw Baw (Vic).

And please check our snow page for the latest forecasts, cams, and more.