Climate chaos: Rare June snow falls in desert region of Namibia

June 10, 2011 – NAMIBIA – Reports and photographs of the snowfall circulated rapidly and widely across the Internet and inboxes bulged with rare images depicting snow in areas usually associated with heat and dust, not biting cold and white blankets of snow. John Rabie from Namibgrens Guest Farm close to the Spreetshoogte Pass where the majority of snow and rain fell, described the scenes of low clouds, mist and snow on Tuesday. It was ice cold, especially as the wind was blowing,” he said. The snow fell during the day, from around eleven in the morning until the afternoon. He said the minimum temperature on Tuesday was minus two degrees Celsius, while the day’s maximum temperature did not go above five degrees. Although the temperatures had not improved by yesterday, the absence of wind took away the worst bite of the cold, he said. “We lost one lamb,” he said. He attributed the low number of stock losses to the fact that the wind had died down from Tuesday to Wednesday. According to the Namibia Weather Network website, Tuesday’s cold was one for the record books. The website reported that Windhoek had its lowest average day temperature in at least ten years on Tuesday. –Namibian

“Parts of the south-west Africa nation of Namibia usually associated with heat and dust have been blanketed in snow.” –Irish Weather O

Thanks Luisport