 On 27 July 2008, a fall of graupel, or soft hail, blanketed Lindfield, Roseville and Killara in white, as it was cold enough to prevent the soft hail from melting when it fell, thereby preserving it as a soft, melting ice when it reached the ground.Because of its snow-like appearance, the graupel was mistaken by many residents for snow.Owing to this event, a senior forecaster from the Bureau of Meteorology doubted the 1836 snow account, stating weather observers in that time period lacked the technology and skill to distinguish snow from soft hail.