Top 5 Snowiest Towns/Cities in the Southern Hemisphere

Most people that consider themselves weather-minded are often familiar with Vostok, Antarctica, and Death Valley, California, due to the extreme temperature ranges recorded in these areas. However, when you include “the snowiest areas” in the query, and limit the scope to the Southern Hemisphere, you get all sorts of “uncertain” responses.

Determining the snowiest areas in this region is difficult, owing to its geography. It has a smaller landmass and an abundance of water south of 40 degrees that limit zones of cold and snow to higher mountain elevations and Antarctica.

But as you are going to find out, there are known and hidden towns in the Southern Hemisphere that are very snowy, and this article brings to you the top five!

#1. Villa Las Estrellas, Antarctica

Besides having heavy snow, coupled with strong, continuous winds, Villa Las Estrellas has a yearly temperature mean of 28°F (-2°C), making it warmer than the Antarctic mainland.

The temperatures can, however, go as low as -52°F (-47°C) during winter, when the entire place is always buried by meters of snow, making it a little challenging for an average person to make it past the first week.

Villa Las Estrellas is one of the two towns in Antarctica that are regarded as civilian towns, the other one being the Argentinian Esperanza base that houses 55 winter residents.

As you’d expect, its harsh conditions that include deep snow are the reason you’d hear people saying that Villa Las Estrellas could be the closest we can get (here on earth) to experiencing life on an alien planet.

This town at the bottom of the planet was founded in 1984 when Chile was looking to strengthen its territorial claims in Antarctica. It is usually home to a range of between 200 to 7,000 people (depending on the season) and is often described as one of the safest places on earth (from human aggression, of course).

#2. Bariloche, Argentina

Also known as the King of Argentinian winters, Bariloche is often the tourist destination for northern and southern hemisphere tourists looking for their “never-ending winter” pristine powder fix.

Its temperatures can go as low as 2°F (-16°C) and heavy snowfall has been recorded countless times, with the most recent (in 2019) depth of 4 feet recorded in Cerro Catedral Ski Resort in Bariloche.

The town experiences varying climatic ranges owing to its high elevation in the mountains, with temperatures dropping severely during the night, something that accounts for a huge discrepancy between low and high daily temperatures. Snow tends to appear on the mountain peaks during summer, and the winters are as long as they are cold, precisely why there’s a skiing culture predominant in the town.

#3 & #4. Wanaka & Queenstown, New Zealand

These two towns not only have (almost) similar weather conditions, they also are neighbors in the South Island of New Zealand.

For years, these have been some of the snowiest places in the Southern Hemisphere, and it is here where you are likely to see snow on the mountains on some days and endless snowfalls going on in the other areas for days, leading to major road shutdowns.

This is often the case in July, during winter when there is recurrent freeze and melt see-saws (as snowfalls are often followed by temperature rises).

Due to the high extent of snowfalls in these towns, there are five commercial ski resorts here, which include The Remarkables, Cardrona, Coronet Peak, Snow Farm, and Treble Cone.

As part of the Southern Island’s snowy climate, these areas receive precarious snowfalls that can go up to 21 inches (53 cm), creating extremely, thick and dense veils of snow everywhere.

#5. Oberon, Australia

It’s worth noting that due to its separation from the Polar Regions by the Antarctic Ocean, Australia is not subjected to the frigid polar air that sweeps over the Northern Hemisphere. That makes it unlikely to have areas that receive heavy snow.

However, there is a small town known as Oberon that breaks the odds.

The town sits on the Blue Mountains at an altitude of 3,650 feet (1113 meters) above sea level and is one of the few areas in the Southern Hemisphere that are most famous for snow. When the first snowflakes start falling each year, visitors from Australia and beyond begin popping up on almost every street, in preparation for snowball fights and cuddling up by open fires when the weather becomes bearable.

Here, snow can fall at any time of the year in the town but it is often thicker during the winter months. Usually, you’ll find up to four good snowfalls in the season, with one snowfall seeing snow lying around for 24 hours or more. A heavy fall on the other hand usually leaves the snow around for a few days or up to one week.

The depth of snow in Oberon can go up to 8 inches (20 cm) and temperatures up to 21°F (-6°C). This scenic town has all the key factors that make it a huge magnet for snow (including elevation, conditions that favor precipitation and cold temperature), making it a snow gem in the middle of the Blue Mountains.

Bottom line

The Southern Hemisphere doesn’t get much snow throughout the year, and generally, its winters are mild (compared to the Northern Hemisphere). This is the region where you’ll find countries or cities experiencing snow once every decade or century, while others lacking any documented evidence of ever experiencing any real snow in history.

The First Olympic Winter Game took place in 1924 in Chamonix, France. Of the 22 subsequent Winter Olympics, none have been held in the Southern Hemisphere…and it makes sense.

But as we’ve seen, there are a couple of towns that can brag about a decent amount (or extreme, in some cases) of snow each year within the Southern Hemisphere. Admittedly, they were difficult to find, but the results were inspiring.

Valentina is a guide for Pedal Chile and is our resident badass. Valentina was born and raised in La Patagonia, which probably explains her affinity for adventuring. When Valentina isn’t crushing some poor dude’s soul, you can find her shredding down Rucapillán. Favorite season: Austral Summer

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References:

1. CNN, By Cathy Brown. “The Best Things to Do in Bariloche, Argentina.” 

2. ‌Crowe, Alex. “It’s Snow Beautiful! Region Laps up Weekend White-Out.” Central Western Daily, 10 Aug. 2019, www.centralwesterndaily.com.au/story/6321006/its-snow-beautiful-region-laps-up-weekend-white-out/.

3. ‌Moon, Linda. "Does It Snow in the Blue Mountains.” 11 July 2012,

4. ‌O’Reilly, Jessica, and Juan Francisco Salazar. “Inhabiting the Antarctic.” The Polar Journal, vol. 7, no. 1, 2 Jan. 2017, pp. 9–25.

5. ‌Richard Fisher. The Icy Village Where You Must Remove Your Appendix. www.bbc.com/future/gallery/20180810-villas-las-estrellas-antarctica-base-residents-surgery.