The State Emergency Services were forced to respond to nearly 50 calls for help across the region as motorists continued down closed roads into snow and mud.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
SES Orange Unit coordinator Rob Stevens said roughly 20 volunteers "didn't stop moving" over Saturday and Sunday as the city copped the full brunt of an Antarctic front, with snow falling - but not settling - in town.
Mr Stevens said there were about 50 rescues of vehicles around the Pinnacle and Mount Canobolas.
- READ ALSO: All the photos from a snowy Mount Canobolas
"While it was nice to see people out and about it's disappointing to see so many people disobeying road closed signs," he said.
"Our guys would have preferred being out with their families in the snow but we didn't stop."
It's disappointing to see people disobeying road closed signs
- Kim Stevens
He said a the SES's four vehicles were called to dozen jobs across the weekend where trees were down on houses or across roads, with consistent wind across Saturday and Sunday.
He also said streams and creeks would be full over coming days due to not only the rain but also snowmelt.
A hoax call on Friday night had the SES mobilised to help someone reportedly stuck in floodwaters, but Mr Stevens said the multi-agency response showed how much of a threat floodwaters could be.
Crews in Bathurst, Sofala and Portland all responded to flooding jobs on Friday and Saturday, and he warned against driving through floodwaters in Orange.
"There's 600mm running over the bridge at Ophir, if anyone tries to drive through that we'd have to be swimming to get them out," Mr Stevens said.
Despite congestion at the Pinnacle and around the Mountain Teahouse at the base of Mount Canobolas, most motorists on major roads had been responsible.
Central West Police District Chief Inspector Peter Atkins said most motorists had behaved well while on the roads.
"Generally people adapted pretty well to the road conditions," he said.
Roads up to the Pinnacle and the top of Mount Canobolas were shut on Sunday, with SES and police monitoring the roads on Saturday as people flocked to higher ground to see the snow.
Chief Inspector Atkins said one minor crash had occurred along Cargo Road over the weekend, while a crash at the corner of Hill Street and Moulder Street was due to a vehicle not following a give way sign.
No-one was injured in either incident.
Further abroad in the region, a man died and another was injured after a car left the road and crashed on the Castlereigh Highway at Ben Bullen before 6am on Monday.
HAVE YOUR SAY
- Send us a letter to the editor using the form below ...
Max Stainkamph
Max joined the CWD in September 2017, leaving the big smoke of Melbourne to come to Orange, where he stayed until 2020.
Max joined the CWD in September 2017, leaving the big smoke of Melbourne to come to Orange, where he stayed until 2020.
