Late-season snow falls in South Africa and Lesotho

Late‑season snowfall has fallen across parts of South Africa and Lesotho, a rare event that coincided with a heatwave and widespread wildfires in the Northern Hemisphere. Meteorologists say the cold front that moved through the highlands brought temperatures below freezing, producing snow in the Drakensberg and surrounding areas. The precipitation is expected to melt quickly, but it has already helped replenish water supplies in some communities that have been strained by the summer drought.

The unusual weather pattern has drawn attention to the stark contrast between the two hemispheres. While the Southern Hemisphere experiences a brief winter, the Northern Hemisphere is battling record‑high temperatures and intense forest fires that have scorched millions of acres. Climate scientists note that such divergent conditions underscore the growing variability of global weather patterns, though they caution that a single event does not confirm long‑term trends.