Uncommon Hailstorm Offers Zambians a Wintery Experience in May

Zambians in the capital Lusaka and surrounding towns woke up Monday morning to find their streets and backyards covered in ice. This phenomenon resulted from a rare hailstorm that followed a heavy rainfall on Sunday night, as reported by local media outlets.

Snowfall is quite rare in Africa, typically occurring only on mountains in South Africa, the Maghreb, and on Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro. However, hailstones can occasionally be observed in southern Africa when temperatures reach significant lows. The hailstorm in Zambia dropped the temperature to 12 degrees Celsius on Monday, but that didn’t stop residents from enjoying the icy conditions.

Many took to social media, sharing photos of their experiences as they constructed snowmen and played in the hailstones. Here are some moments captured and shared by the community.

Southern Africa has snow… yolo Zambia pic.twitter.com/hRYJd4LvXD— Thamob (@Thamob2) May 15, 2017

They are calling hail, snow in Zambia pic.twitter.com/eAHKr71DdU— Mr Mufasa (@Homa10i) May 15, 2017

Wow wow wow #Snow #Zambia pic.twitter.com/lxCMUQpMrE— Pule Mulenga (@amonpule) May 15, 2017

Snow in Zambia. Lesa twafwa!!! pic.twitter.com/a0gdWwER31— CHOMBA (@CholzB) May 15, 2017

Snow in Zambia pic.twitter.com/ad4GqUYIUk— Raymond Majongwe (@RMajongwe) May 15, 2017