# Does any city in the Southern Hemisphere get snow? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 13, 2012, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-city-in-the-southern-hemisphere-get-snow/640911 "2012-11-13T19:37:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nunzio_Tavulari)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2012, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-city-in-the-southern-hemisphere-get-snow/640911/41 "2012-11-14T12:15:39Z")
> [@sweat209](#): > > Where California ,Florida ,New Mexico ,Arizona ,Texas and Louisiana get some what cold meaning to cold to go out t-shirt but to hot in parka Jacket. Most people just wear sweatshirt. Not entirely true. I visited San Francisco on the 4th of July and would have been more comfortable in a parka than a sweatshirt. Fortunately, we had a rental car and it was a more temperate 80 degrees over the Bay Bridge. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2012, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-city-in-the-southern-hemisphere-get-snow/640911/42 "2012-11-14T12:27:39Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > [Christchurch](http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/7049818/Wintry-blast-moves-north) in New Zealand also gets snow. Having once lived there for many years I speak from first-hand experience when I say it does indeed snow in Christchurch. Not every winter, but I rememember having to dig my car out from under snow\* at least once, and another two or three days where I got the day off school/work because of snow. And that’s without getting into the frost/ice/sleet/hail/cold, cold rain as well. One of the reasons we left was because of the weather, actually. It wasn’t cold all the time (summer and spring were quite pleasant) - but I did seem to have a disproportionately large amount winter clothing. \*Nothing by US/Canada standards, I’d imagine ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2012, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-city-in-the-southern-hemisphere-get-snow/640911/43 "2012-11-14T12:41:05Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > And that’s without getting into the frost/ice/sleet/hail/cold, cold rain as well. One of the reasons we left was because of the weather, actually. It wasn’t cold all the time (summer and spring were quite pleasant) - but I did seem to have a disproportionately large amount winter clothing. > > \*Nothing by US/Canada standards, I’d imagine Christchurch has a fairly similar climate to English cities, and I think it’s true to say that a maritime cold climate can be more unpleasant than a continental cold one. Of course we don’t get the bone-chilling temperatures, but a damp, rainy day at 3ºC can somehow feel colder than a clear, sunny one at -10ºC. Once you start getting into negative Fahrenheit temperatures, though, I’ll take the sleety rain! ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2012, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-city-in-the-southern-hemisphere-get-snow/640911/44 "2012-11-14T13:54:24Z")
Is it possible to ski all seven continents? ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2012, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-city-in-the-southern-hemisphere-get-snow/640911/45 "2012-11-14T13:59:41Z")
According to [wiki](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ski_areas_and_resorts), there are ski resorts on six of the seven continents. I’m guessing that it’s possible to ski in Antarctica, too. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2012, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-city-in-the-southern-hemisphere-get-snow/640911/46 "2012-11-14T14:01:35Z")
> [@Laggard](#): > > Is it possible to ski all seven continents? Well, you can certainly ski at established resorts in Africa (mainly Morocco but [also](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ski_areas_and_resorts_in_Africa) Algeria, Lesotho and South Africa), Asia, Europe, North America, South America and Australia. The only one that doesn’t have any ski resorts is Antarctica, but you could certainly ski there if you made the [effort](http://www.greatoutdoors.com/published/a-ski-trip-to-antarctica). ---
**Author:** ![Baffle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dec6dc/32.png) [@Baffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baffle)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2012, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-city-in-the-southern-hemisphere-get-snow/640911/47 "2012-11-14T14:13:22Z")
Does it snow in the southern hemisphere? I saw a guy shovelling the crap in Oamaru (a coastal town on New Zealand’s South Island) on December 24th, 2004. That’s summer, yet they still had a white Christmas. ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2012, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-city-in-the-southern-hemisphere-get-snow/640911/48 "2012-11-14T20:50:02Z")
> [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](#): > > According to [wiki](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ski_areas_and_resorts), there are ski resorts on six of the seven continents. I’m guessing that it’s possible to ski in Antarctica, too. Thanks. I’d have guess that Australia would have been the only continent one could not ski. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2012, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-city-in-the-southern-hemisphere-get-snow/640911/49 "2012-11-14T21:20:01Z")
> [@Laggard](#): > > Thanks. I’d have guess that Australia would have been the only continent one could not ski. There are ski resorts in three states of Australia – New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2012, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-city-in-the-southern-hemisphere-get-snow/640911/50 "2012-11-14T21:25:42Z")
> [@Laggard](#): > > Thanks. I’d have guess that Australia would have been the only continent one could not ski. I once tried to climb Mt. Kosciuszko so I’d have the highest peak on at least one continent, but it was snowing so hard I had to turn back. I’ve been in a bad blizzard in New Zealand too. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2012, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-city-in-the-southern-hemisphere-get-snow/640911/51 "2012-11-14T21:46:55Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > I once tried to climb Mt. Kosciuszko so I’d have the highest peak on at least one continent, but it was snowing so hard I had to turn back. > > I’ve been in a bad blizzard in New Zealand too. My one time up Kosciuszko was in the middle of summer, so there was very little snow about. Part of the trip there was up a ski lift, which was still running even though there was no skiing at that time of year. (And from the top of the ski lift it was quite a long walk, but pretty easy walking.) ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2012, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-city-in-the-southern-hemisphere-get-snow/640911/52 "2012-11-15T00:55:49Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > I’m 350 miles north of LA, on the coast, about midway between LA and the Oregon border. It’s about 48 degrees here at 9 pm in early november. It will get to be about 38 degrees by three a.m. It was sunny and in the mid 60’s today. That’s what winter is like here when it isn’t raining. But damp, always damp in winter when it isn’t actually wet, so it feels a lot colder. > > You can about freeze to death in San Francisco in the summer–often around 50 degrees, fogged in, and a nasty penetrating wind. Bundle up! I remember all too many nights at Candlestick, watching the Giants from the Upper Deck, wearing what I would to a football game and thinking that the loneliest guy in the place was the one selling, “Malts here! Get your malts here!!” :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Battle\_Pope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@Battle\_Pope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Battle_Pope)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2012, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-city-in-the-southern-hemisphere-get-snow/640911/53 "2012-11-15T02:12:21Z")
> [@Cugel](#): > > Probably once every 2-3 years. Pretty poor attempt usually, melts fairly quickly. > > The most famous perhaps was the [Snow Game](http://images.smh.com.au/2012/08/17/3562344/art353-snow20002-300x0.jpg?iact=rc&dur=1&sig=112579563531179745792&ei=if2iUM-BDqqWiQeZ5YCQCQ&page=1&tbnh=139&tbnw=75&start=0&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0,i:77&tx=15&ty=92), the only NRL game ever played in snow(ish) conditions. Pretty much this. It’s rare enough within the city limits here that it’s always mentioned on the local news and even then, when it does snow the pictures in the story **Colibri** linked to are about as deep as it gets. The [Brindabella Ranges](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brindabella_Ranges#Snow_country)get snow regularly but around Canberra it rarely stays for long. Further south it’s different, I was camping in [Namadgi National Park](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namadgi_National_Park) one year in November (late spring here) and a cold snap hit us, depositing an inch or more of snow which lasted for a few days in sheltered spots. ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2012, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-city-in-the-southern-hemisphere-get-snow/640911/54 "2012-11-15T02:13:48Z")
> [@sweat209](#): > > I think most places in southern US get snow but nothing like the north closer to Canada.If it snows today the next day it all gone because it much warmer. > > Where California ,Florida ,New Mexico ,Arizona ,Texas and Louisiana get some what cold meaning to cold to go out t-shirt but to hot in parka Jacket. Most people just wear sweatshirt. > > You don’t even turn heat on in your house in those states. Since I think the OP has been properly answered, I’ll take a stab at fighting ignorance. Here in Texas, we’re at over 3200ft altitude and it not only gets cold enough to run the heater, it gets cold enough you have to have heat. We had several days last winter with single digit F high temps. You not only can’t go out in just a tee shirt, or even sweat shirt, but you will need insulated under ware and preferably insulated outer ware. Carhartt insulated coveralls are extremely common in winter. Plus it’s windy, negative double digit wind chills are common. Already this year the overnight lows are into the lower 20s F range, I’ve had the heater lit for a month. ---
**Author:** ![stui\_magpie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stui_magpie/32/11010_2.png) [@stui\_magpie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stui_magpie)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2012, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-city-in-the-southern-hemisphere-get-snow/640911/55 "2012-11-15T02:24:46Z")
Just to clear up a few of the misconceptions, I live in Melbourne Australia. For those talking about the size of continents, Australia is actually a pretty big place, similar in size to the USA. Most of our major capital cities are coastal so little chance of snow there and in general our winters, even down south, are mild compared to what you get in the northern USA and Canada. However, only a couple of hours drive north east of Melbourne was have a mountain range where It snows every winter. Mt Hotham, Mt Buffalo etc do a thriving trade come ski season. Canberra is inland and gets far colder than the coastal cities and does have snow in winter sometimes, but not a regular day to day event. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2012, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-city-in-the-southern-hemisphere-get-snow/640911/56 "2012-11-15T03:00:32Z")
Lesotho is a mountainous country, and snow is quite common. Snow is also common in some parts of South Africa. ---
**Author:** ![zeno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zeno/32/15040_2.png) [@zeno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zeno)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2012, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-city-in-the-southern-hemisphere-get-snow/640911/57 "2012-11-15T03:48:54Z")
I think it snows in Bolivia. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2012, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-city-in-the-southern-hemisphere-get-snow/640911/58 "2012-11-15T04:22:42Z")
> [@zeno](#): > > I think it snows in Bolivia. It snows throughout the Andes all the way up to Colombia. [Cotopaxi](http://64.245.154.180/Images/Ecuador/Cotopaxi%20in%20the%20clouds.JPG)in Ecuador is not far from the Equator. ---
**Author:** ![sweat209](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@sweat209](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweat209)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2012, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-city-in-the-southern-hemisphere-get-snow/640911/59 "2012-11-15T05:31:00Z")
I know some places in the north closer to Canada where Jun ,July ,Aug are the only months you can go out with t-shirt and shorts !! And May and Sep being kinda some \*\*times \*\*hot other time you need sweatshirt. I read where people who are living in desert you can be roasting in the day and freezing in the night not sure why that the case. Where New Mexico and Arizona is kinda of like desert but not true desert like in the middle East or some parts of Africa. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2012, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-city-in-the-southern-hemisphere-get-snow/640911/60 "2012-11-15T06:05:56Z")
> [@sweat209](#): > > I think most places in southern US get snow but nothing like the north closer to Canada.If it snows today the next day it all gone because it much warmer. > > Where California ,Florida ,New Mexico ,Arizona ,Texas and Louisiana get some what cold meaning to cold to go out t-shirt but to hot in parka Jacket. Most people just wear sweatshirt. > > You don’t even turn heat on in your house in those states. You turn on heat plenty in Florida. > [@](#): > > n the past few years, Florida has experienced a trend in which the winter peak demand has exceeded summer peak demand. For example, in 2010, Florida’s winter peak demand was 48,872 MW compared to 48,385 MW in the summer of 2010. page 21, [Florida PSC](http://www.psc.state.fl.us/publications/pdf/electricgas/FEECA2012.pdf) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-city-in-the-southern-hemisphere-get-snow/640911.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-city-in-the-southern-hemisphere-get-snow/640911.md?page=4)