The melting snow effect on waterways
2,917 views · Published 24 September 2018 · 6:22 · Indexed 27 October 2026
Channel: robbiefishing · 2018 · Howto & Style
Does the melting snow, otherwise known as the spring thaw really send huge volumes of water down the rivers and creeks? We've all heard lines like "We've still got all that snow to come down yet" or "We're gonna be in trouble when the snow melts". But does it really have that great of an effect on stream flows? In this video I put a few myths to bed surrounding the spring thaw, or runoff from snow melt in the spring time. In some parts of the world it can have catastrophic consequences on stream flows causing widespread and severe flooding, but here in Australia the story is much different. To be honest, by the time the spring thaw arrives most of the snow has already melted. Australia is not a cold country. Yes we have high mountain ranges that receive a good fall of snow each winter, but due to the warm nature of our country the snow does not stay dry and powdery for very long as it starts to thaw soon after falling. Even in the depths of winter rainfall is common in our alpine regions, washing away and melting the snow which is often replaced by more snow. In other parts of the world, once temperatures drop below freezing during autumn and winter, they generally stay there until spring meaning that all the snow begins to thaw at once, causing raised streams. Here in Australia the effect of spring thaw snowmelt is quite minimal and unless a heavy deluge of rain falls early in spring when there is still tonnes of snow on the mountains, the main snowmelt is likely to only sustain a decent flow of icy cold and crystal clear water in snow fed trout fishing streams until late spring. #snowmelt #springthaw #troutfishing
