Rare snow fall stuns South Africa’s Johannesburg
People react as a rare snow fall hits Johannesburg, South Africa, Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2012. The South African Weather Service has warned that extreme cold will blanket much of the nation over the next few days, which remains in winter. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell)
JOHANNESBURG >> People have poured out of offices, pointed mobile phone cameras to the sky and opened their mouths to taste a rare snow fall now blanketing South Africa’s city of Johannesburg.
The snow started falling this morning, sending workers rushing outside. Some twirled and danced as the flakes fell. One man rushed to the top of a snow-covered hill and slid down, using a cardboard box as an improvised toboggan.
The snow grew heavier in the afternoon, covering rooftops and slicking roads.
Snowflakes are a rare commodity in Johannesburg, even as South Africa endures its winter months. The South African Weather Service says it has only snowed in Johannesburg 22 other days in the last 103 years. The service says snow last fell here in June 2007.
