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© AfriSkThe snow across the Maluti Mountains, taken in Lesotho
If you've noticed a certain drop in temperature this weekend, you won't be the only ones. Many South Africans are now swapping their air-conditioners for heaters as winter slowly stalks us from afar. Things got chillier in Underberg and the border of Free State and Lesotho this week, and the snow came tumbling down.
As we reported on Thursday, Snow Report SA predicted that there'd be about 5cm of snow on our side: The Drakensberg Mountains are usually the first to experience a dusting when the mercury plummets, and that's exactly what we saw on Sunday.
Tour of Turkey has been shortened due to snowy conditions on the summit finish climb.
Race organisers have shortened the queen stage of the 2019 Tour of Turkey by 5.5km due to heavy snow falling on the summit finish.
Stage five was set to conclude with riders scaling the 16km Kartepe, but will now only ride the first 10.5km.
The steepest parts of the climb, which top out at a gradient of 12 per cent, will not be affected.
Christmas in April?
— Deceuninck-QuickStep (@deceuninck_qst) April 20, 2019
No, just the original finish of today's #TUR2019 stage on the Kartepe climb before it was shortened. pic.twitter.com/fSAk2h2Eho
Beirut airport's Meteorology Department said snow is expected at altitudes of 1,200 meters throughout the day Sunday, and warned drivers of cars skidding at altitudes above 1,000 meters.
In Bsharri, snow covered areas above 1,200 meters, according to the state-run National News Agency. The Cedars saw 40 centimeters of snow, leaving farmers worried that fruit-bearing trees will be damaged if the temperatures drop further.
© KTUUSnow on April 19, 2019
The snow is causing road conditions to be similar to those of January and December, when just one week ago the roads, and the lawns, were bone dry.
A white Easter? Dozens are hiking up to Bluff Knoll this long weekend to catch a glimpse of the extremely rare April snowfall.
Locals couldn't have anticipated this: Snowboarding in Western Australia in April?
The state's southwest had more than a Good Friday, with residents waking up to record snowfall. As predicted in news.com.au's weekend weather forecast, the Stirling Ranges have seen snow just in time for Easter — and for the first time in 49 years.
© David GrahamSnowfall on Bluff Knoll
The state's southwest had more than a Good Friday, with residents waking up to record snowfall. As predicted in news.com.au's weekend weather forecast, the Stirling Ranges have seen snow just in time for Easter — and for the first time in 49 years.
The storms affected fields of olive and almond trees.
The storms, of diverse intensity, started in the last weekend of March. In the first week of April, they intensified in some points of the region, such as Feria, Navalvillar de Pela, Castuera or Siruela. The direct consequence of the hail is that a good share of the fruit trees has been damaged. In fact, of those almost 2,200 hectares in which hail has been recorded, 1,806.49 are planted with fruit trees, which is 82.4% of the total area affected. The most affected region is Las Vegas Altas del Guadiana.
According to ISNA, snow has covered almost 275,000 kilometers in Iran and when it starts melting it will produce a huge volume of water.
"Snow in mountains streaming down to Karkheh and Dez Rivers cover 15,000 kilometers," Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian said, noting that when the snow melts, it will produce an estimated 1.5 billion cubic meters of water, a massive part of which is expected to be collected in dams.
The minister said 76% of the dams are full due to the recent high precipitation which has inflicted serious loss on many regions.
© Brian KingBrian King used a drone to get up-close to a whale in ice off the cost of western Newfoundland.
It's not uncommon to see whales near Fischells beach in Bay St. George, but the latest sighting has been unusual.
The whale has been dead for weeks, according to people who live in the area. Its body is trapped in ice; half in, half out of the water.
"We never had ice like this in a good few years," said Brian King of Jeffries, a ten-minute drive from Fischells beach. King used a drone to capture close-up images of the whale, which he said was about three and a half kilometres from the shore.
King said he first heard about the whale a few weeks ago, and so he believes it's been dead for some time. He said he waited for a calm, clear day to take video.
© YouTube/Adapt 2030 (screen capture)
Comment: Snow falls in Western Australia's Stirling Ranges in April for the first time in 49 years