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July 26, 2021 - Frigid weather in South Africa
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South Africa shivered under frigid winter weather as snow—and minimum temperature records—fell across the country in late July 2021. According to the South African Weather Service (SAWS), a series of cold fronts sweeping across the country were responsible for the falling temperatures, gusting winds, and snow. The first cold front brought strong north-westerly winds and rain to the southwestern parts of South Africa on July 19, with precipitation in the form of snow along with bitterly cold temperatures inland.
A second, more intense cold front escorted even colder temperatures across much of the country beginning on July 21. On July 23, local media reported that nineteen records were smashed over the previous 24 hours, with several parts of South Africa recording their lowest minimum or maximum temperature in recorded history. On that day, temperatures in Kimberly (Northern Cape province) dropped to -9.9˚C (14˚F) and Johannesburg (Gauteng province) saw -7˚C (19.4˚F). In the Eastern Cape, the town of Grahamstown reported a maximum temperature of only 6.8˚C (44˚F).
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) acquired a true-color image of a sunny but frigid day in South Africa on July 23. Snow sits atop higher elevations of most of the mountain ranges in the country. A broad swath of snow also paints the karoo white south of Sutherland, Northern Cape province.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 7/23/2021
Resolutions:
1km (205.8 KB), 500m (540 KB), 250m (356.8 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
South Africa shivered under frigid winter weather as snow—and minimum temperature records—fell across the country in late July 2021. According to the South African Weather Service (SAWS), a series of cold fronts sweeping across the country were responsible for the falling temperatures, gusting winds, and snow. The first cold front brought strong north-westerly winds and rain to the southwestern parts of South Africa on July 19, with precipitation in the form of snow along with bitterly cold temperatures inland.
A second, more intense cold front escorted even colder temperatures across much of the country beginning on July 21. On July 23, local media reported that nineteen records were smashed over the previous 24 hours, with several parts of South Africa recording their lowest minimum or maximum temperature in recorded history. On that day, temperatures in Kimberly (Northern Cape province) dropped to -9.9˚C (14˚F) and Johannesburg (Gauteng province) saw -7˚C (19.4˚F). In the Eastern Cape, the town of Grahamstown reported a maximum temperature of only 6.8˚C (44˚F).
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) acquired a true-color image of a sunny but frigid day in South Africa on July 23. Snow sits atop higher elevations of most of the mountain ranges in the country. A broad swath of snow also paints the karoo white south of Sutherland, Northern Cape province.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 7/23/2021
Resolutions:
1km (205.8 KB), 500m (540 KB), 250m (356.8 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
