Climate Change Gone Wild: Snow in Zimbabwe Africa?

Courtesyof BENDEDREALITY.COM

Rare Sleet Phenomenon Hits Zimbabwe – the First in the Country’s History!

Amazing pictures of snow in Zimbabwe taken at the end of May have been dividing the internet.

Photos of Lower Gweru (a settlement in the Midlands province found between Zimbabwe’s capital city of Harare and the city of Bulawayo towards the west) covered in white led many to denounce the whole thing as a hoax, as snow in the country is such an unlikely occurrence.

Zimbabwe news site ZimEye claimed that this was the first time on record it has snowed there.

The site asked readers to send in their photos of the phenomenon and received various pictures showing the ground coated in a thick layer of snow.

A video of a snowy backyard was also shared by ZimEye as proof of the unusual weather conditions.

Some sceptics have claimed the “snow” shown in pictures and videos could have been sleet-like hail instead that fell overnight as it appears tightly packed in the images – hailstorms are a more regular occurrence in Zimbabwe.

If the images have been Photoshopped, they have been done extremely well according to online commenters – the details of the Zimbabwean landscapes captured all appear accurate.

If the snow is genuine though, it could be bad news for locals. Houses in the area generally aren’t insulated, there are few power lines providing electricity and local people are unlikely to have warm winter clothing on hand.

Farmers typically keep livestock outdoors even at night – snow could result in many animals dying from cold.