Heavy Spring Snow Sweeps South Africa; 2-Feet Buries Aussie Ski Resorts; Early-Season Flurries Hit Mt Shasta, CA; Record Frosts Persist In Europe; + Grain Prices Soar On Ukraine News
Heavy Spring Snow Sweeps South Africa
What has been a very cold Southern Hemisphere winter isn’t over yet…
The South African Weather Service (SAWS) had issued warnings for widespread spring snow this week, and conditions have not disappointed (see below) with even thundersnow noted over the Southern Free State, KwaZulu-Natal and Lesotho.
Weather warnings remain in place for snow, rain and cold, with SAWS issuing a level 5 warning for “disruptive snowfall”.
“As the upper-air cut-off low intensifies, snowfall of a more significant and disruptive nature (as much as 30cm/1ft) should be anticipated over the eastern peaks of the Lesotho Drakensberg mountains, as well as higher peaks of the Eastern Cape, in the Barkly East and Tiffindell areas,” reads a section of the recent SAWS warning.
“Small stock farmers should provide shelter for their vulnerable livestock and cover sensitive crops,” continues the warning.
“The public would also be well-advised to keep jackets and blankets close at hand, as the weather will remain very chilly … The weak and frail will be most vulnerable since their bodies won’t be able to retain their heat as easily,” the SAWS concludes — and just as fears of ‘stage 6 load-shedding’ also mount.
2-Feet Buries Aussie Ski Resorts
After what was a record-breaking start to the season, Australian ski resorts are now registering some major late-season snow storms that, even in spring, are growing their base depths.
Starting with Perisher, another 30cm (1ft) of fresh powder settled overnight Monday, giving a storm total of 65cm (2.1ft).
“Is it really spring? It sure feels like mid-winter to us!” reads the opening lines of a recent perisher.com article. “The trees are covered and we were digging out the Skidoos this morning! The resort is absolutely covered in white, and the powder stashes are aplenty!”
Hotham Alpine Resort received similar totals — 63cm (2ft).
Thredbo saw 53cm (1.74ft).
With Falls Creek adding 52 cm (1.71ft) to its base.
The Aussie continent is coming off the back of a colder-than-average winter–an anomalous chill that is now extending through September for many, and, looking at the recent GFS runs, could actually intensify into October:
Early-Season Flurries Hit Mt Shasta, CA
The recent storm that soaked Northern California also delivered early-season snow to the region’s higher-elevations.
Lassen Volcanic National Park received substantial accumulations, enough to close the park’s highway.
Elsewhere, Mount Shasta “is already looking in early-winter form”, according to activenorcal.com. The Shasta Avalanche Center reported 4 inches of fresh snow at the Old Ski Bowl, posting picture proof on Instagram:
Record Frosts Persist In Europe
Europe’s early and record-breaking taste of winter is persisting, though is still going unreported by a warm-mongering MSM.
Frosts at low elevations are continuing to sweep the continent from France to Western Russia.
Aubusson in central France, for example, suffered its third consecutive September frost yesterday morning — “il siagit d’un record”, according to @lachainemeteo on Twitter (a new record):
With cold weather already engulfing many European nations and with their access to natural gas from Russia cut off, rising expenses and sc