South Africa’s largest city Johannesburg witnessed its first snowfall in a little more than a decade on Monday. People were awestruck and some children witnessed snow for the first time in their life.
The southern hemisphere in South Africa receives snow regularly during winter months around June to August, however, the city last saw snow in August 2012. In Brackenhurst, south of Johannesburg, children enjoyed the long pending natural phenomena the most as they were seen making snowballs, angels with snow in a school’s grounds. But it was not all that pleasant for other people like delivery drivers whose bike wouldn’t start, delaying their regular work.
Social media was full off surprise reactions from the people of Johannesburg who described the snow as a “wonderful start to the week”, “hectic”, and “pure magic”.
However, the snow would not last for a long time, and is the result of freezing wind, extreme cool temperatures and a rise in humidity, told Jennifer Fitchett, professor of physical geography in the University of Witwatersrand to South Africa’s Times newspaper.
The Gauteng province, including Johannesburg and the capital Pretoria, has been facing cold front, warned South African Weather Service. The coal belt in Mpumalanga province also witnessed snowfall on the same day, where many power stations belonging to Eskom are situated.
