South Africans abuzz after first snowfall in over a decade

South Africans were abuzz on Monday following a surprise snowfall in the country’s largest city, Johannesburg — the first in the area in more than a decade.

Snowflakes are rare in Johannesburg, which is located in South Africa’s Gauteng province, with the last reported occurrence in 2012.

Residents who woke up to freezing temperatures posted photos and videos to social media expressing their delight about the weather event.

“Snow in Gauteng,” one resident posted on TikTok. “I was preparing to go to Europe (but) I have just changed my mind. Our weather is the same,” another commented.

The South African Weather Service confirmed on its Twitter page that “the observation in part of Gauteng is indeed snow.”

The snow and cold front were extended to other regions, including the mountainous areas of Drakensburg, Eastern Cape and in neighboring Lesotho.

Amid the excitement, the weather service warned that the “disruptive snow” could pose possible hazards, including hypothermia, “if care is not taken.”

Richard Le Sueur, founder of Snow Report, an organization that forecasts snow patterns across South Africa, said that “due to the cold winter,” he has had “a lot more forecast of snow in South Africa than usual.”

Le Sueur predicts that though the snow in Johannesburg “has passed, highland areas such as Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern and Western Cape that are already receiving lots of snow at the moment will continue to see more.”

South Africa’s Department of Transport urged commuters, especially those in KwaZulu-Natal, to exercise “extra caution” on the roads due to the “heavy snow falls.”

Many South Africans, however, continue to be mesmerized by the transformation of parts of the country into a winter wonderland.

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