Residents of Johannesburg, South Africa’s capital and biggest city, on Monday, witnessed a rare snowfall occurrence, with weather services warning of potential road closures and dangerously cold temperatures
Johannesburg experienced its third snowfall in recorded history, the South African Weather Service (SAWS) reporting that temperatures dipped to minus 3 degrees Celsius. The last two were in 1996 and 2012.
SAWS in a statement said “a cold front caused a significant drop in temperatures over Gauteng Province.
“The minimum temperatures recorded have met criteria for snowy conditions. The snow was also experienced in Western Cape, Eastern Cape and Northern Cape provinces.’’
The very cold, wet, and windy circumstances could pose a risk to livestock, susceptible crops, and plants, the SAWS warned the public and small stock farmers.
According to Gauteng Metrorail, the snow had an impact on the infrastructure’s parts, including the electrical wires, cross-over points, and tracks.
It added that the tension on the overhead wires caused power instability and failure, forcing management to suspend some trains.
