# 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:** 18\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2015, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-city-in-the-southern-hemisphere-get-snow/640911/101 "2015-08-12T06:31:03Z")
> [@Belowjob2.0](#): > > Keep in mind that the city of Los Angeles covers a huge geographic area with distinct climates. Within 5 miles of the ocean, winters are warmer, summers are cooler. Here in the western San Fernando Valley, still in the city of Los Angeles, we’re almost 40 miles away from the ocean, blocked from sea breezes by a mountain range. So it’s as much as 10 degrees colder here in the winter, and 10 degrees warmer in the summer. The [snow capped mountains in this picture](https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1920&bih=955&q=los+angeles+winter+mt+wilson&oq=los+angeles+winter+mt+wilson&gs_l=img.3...1498.7571.0.7805.30.15.1.14.14.0.168.1422.9j5.14.0....0...1ac.1.64.img..9.21.1452.FpMqwwPvjbg#hl=en&tbm=isch&q=los+angeles+&imgrc=yStwIa72PcwrMM%3A) are only 15 miles from downtown Los Angeles. It’s like that every year. This issue is about altitude, not latitude. Even at the level of the cities, the inland valleys not far from the coast usually reach freezing some nights in December, and often the temperature is colder there than in New York City on Christmas day. We talked about it in [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=18005229&postcount=44) last winter. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2015, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-city-in-the-southern-hemisphere-get-snow/640911/102 "2015-08-12T12:41:18Z")
> [@jabiru](#): > > I’ve lived in Sydney for 59 years. It’s snowed here once. We didn’t need snowploughs. 😃 Really? I spent six weeks in Sydney from the end of June to the beginning of August, 1984 and I recall two things. First, it has never gone below freezing in the city (although apparently it has been recorded in the suburbs. Second, there was one day that that the high was 8C and they said that it was only the second day of the 20th century that the high was not above 10. A snowfall under those conditions would not last very long. An average day in July had a high around 15. Someone told me that I would feel cold indoors (no central heating, although there were some portable gas heaters lying around) and warm outside. That was right on. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2015, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-city-in-the-southern-hemisphere-get-snow/640911/103 "2015-08-12T13:30:41Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > Really? I spent six weeks in Sydney from the end of June to the beginning of August, 1984 and I recall two things. First, it has never gone below freezing in the city (although apparently it has been recorded in the suburbs. Second, there was one day that that the high was 8C and they said that it was only the second day of the 20th century that the high was not above 10. A snowfall under those conditions would not last very long. > > An average day in July had a high around 15. Someone told me that I would feel cold indoors (no central heating, although there were some portable gas heaters lying around) and warm outside. That was right on. Probably depends on your definition of “Sydney” and “snowfall”. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2015, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-city-in-the-southern-hemisphere-get-snow/640911/104 "2015-08-12T16:54:37Z")
Also, from the Antipodes map - note that central and eastern North America gets winter blasts from the Arctic; so weather in coastal Vancouver is MUCH milder than Toronto, inland and much further south. Toronto tends to get a lot less snow than Buffalo, a bit further south, because Buffalo benefits (?) from the cold air picking up moisture off nice warm Lake Erie until/unless it freezes over. Scotland and Scandinavia are level with Canadian tundra, but due to the warming effects of the Gulf Stream are more liveable. Many of the major southern hemisphere cities are on or close to the ocean, since theer’s not a lot of land mass southward. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2015, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-city-in-the-southern-hemisphere-get-snow/640911/105 "2015-08-13T13:46:44Z")
From [USA Today](http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/weather/resources/askjack/wasnow.htm): > [@](#): > > Q: How close to the equator has snow fallen (at sea level, not on mountaintops)? > > A: Several tropical locations have reported snow at sea level, including near Nanning, China, in 1654; in Hong Kong in January 1893; and in Tampico, Mexico, in February 1895. The 1654 Chinese snowfall, near the present-day coastal city of Beihai, was nearest to the equator, at 21 degrees, 29 minutes north latitude. Several centimeters of snow were recorded there. > > The southernmost sea-level snow report in the USA was at Homestead, Fla., (at 25 degrees, 28 minutes north) in January 1977. South of the equator, at 33 degrees, 2 minutes south latitude, Valparaiso, Chile recorded snow in July, in what may be a southern-hemisphere record. > > (Answered by weather blogger Max Herrera and writer Christopher Burt, author of Extreme Weather, Sept. 3, 2007) “Coldest winter I’ve ever spent was summer in San Francisco” == Mark Twain ---
**Author:** ![jipagola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8797f3/32.png) [@jipagola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jipagola)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2015, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-city-in-the-southern-hemisphere-get-snow/640911/106 "2015-11-22T20:56:03Z")
I got a couple of 20-inchers and a few minor snow falls this mild winter down in the estate I live in Southern Neuquen Province, in Argentina. Nearby cities (Bariloche, population 140,000, Villa La Angostura, population 25,000, and San Martin de los Andes, population 35,000) got some snow too. This a mountain region, we’re at 2,300-3000 feet above sea level, but we have lots of towns and full-size cities getting a lot of snow in Southern Argentina, such as Ushuaia. Where I live, normal winter day would be 5C (40F) during the day and -7C (20F) at night, but in some rough winters, temperatures can drop to -20C (-4F) or less, and that applies to some cities as well. I don’t know about Tasmania/Australia or New Zealand, but I guess they get some snow too. ---
**Author:** ![jipagola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8797f3/32.png) [@jipagola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jipagola)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2015, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-city-in-the-southern-hemisphere-get-snow/640911/107 "2015-11-22T21:05:07Z")
I got a couple of 20-inch and a few of minor snow falls this mild winter down in the estate where I live in Southern Neuquen Province, in Argentina. Nearby cities (Bariloche, population 140,000, Villa La Angostura, population 25,000, and San Martin de los Andes, population 35,000) got some snow too. This a mountain region, we’re at 2,300-3000 feet above sea level, but we have lots of towns and full-size cities getting a lot of snow in Southern Argentina, such as Ushuaia. Where I live, a regular winter day would be 5C (40F) during the day and -7C (20F) at night, but in some rough winters, temperatures can drop to -20C (-4F) or less, and that applies to some cities as well. I don’t know about Tasmania/Australia or New Zealand, but I guess they get some snow too. ---
**Author:** ![jipagola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8797f3/32.png) [@jipagola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jipagola)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2015, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-city-in-the-southern-hemisphere-get-snow/640911/108 "2015-11-22T21:12:14Z")
And yes, we shovel and use tire chains 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![jipagola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8797f3/32.png) [@jipagola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jipagola)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2015, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-city-in-the-southern-hemisphere-get-snow/640911/109 "2015-11-22T21:38:41Z")
Right. I lived in really hot and cold places, and I was always able to adjust to extreme weather conditions. ---
**Author:** ![skdo23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@skdo23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skdo23)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2015, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-city-in-the-southern-hemisphere-get-snow/640911/110 "2015-11-22T21:59:31Z")
> [@Isilder](#): > > No he meant that no one has yet built a ski resort at Antarctica. > > I guess he meant to say "you can of course ski in alpine areas at six continents, And Antarctica is just one big low altitude ski field, not alpine but it will do ! ". [Exactly](http://www.adventure-network.com/experiences/ski-antarctica) ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2015, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-city-in-the-southern-hemisphere-get-snow/640911/111 "2015-11-22T22:49:04Z")
It snowed in [Hobart](http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/snow-blankets-hobart-causing-havoc-on-tasmanian-roads/story-e6frg6nf-1227467421452)last August. Rather heavily, from the text. ---
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2015, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-city-in-the-southern-hemisphere-get-snow/640911/112 "2015-11-22T22:53:05Z")
> [@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. California has glaciers! Do you not realize that it gets cold in the mountains? ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2015, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-city-in-the-southern-hemisphere-get-snow/640911/113 "2015-11-22T23:03:15Z")
It gets into the 30s and lower here in the Sacramento area in the winter. ---
**Author:** ![coremelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-city-in-the-southern-hemisphere-get-snow/640911/114 "2015-11-23T01:46:44Z")
> [@Isilder](#): > > I guess he meant to say "you can of course ski in alpine areas at six continents, And Antarctica is just one big low altitude ski field, not alpine but it will do ! ". Antarctica low altitude? “Antarctica is the highest continent on Earth: average elevation is 8,200ft (2500m). The elevation at the South Pole is 9,300ft (2835m). The highest point on the icecap is in Australian Antarctic Territory at 13,451ft (4100m), at 82° 20’S, 56° 30’E. Mount Vinson is the highest mountain in Antarctica at 16,050ft (4892m).” > **[Visit Antarctica | Antarctic Logistics & Expeditions (ALE)](https://antarctic-logistics.com/)** > > ALE is the premier provider of deep field Antarctic experiences. Climb the tallest peaks, visit the South Pole, or camp with penguins. Theres plenty of Alpine areas in Antarctica. Australia’s ski fields aren’t great but they exist, you can ski in Alpine areas in all 7 continents. ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-city-in-the-southern-hemisphere-get-snow/640911/115 "2015-11-23T03:28:36Z")
Reminds me of a thread I started before: “Does is snow at sea?” It does, so the sailors say. ---
**Author:** ![Wallaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Wallaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallaby)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-city-in-the-southern-hemisphere-get-snow/640911/116 "2015-11-23T09:32:31Z")
I did see it snow once in Melbourne. Well, sort of in Melbourne. I was on the 40th floor, and there was definitely some snow flurries blowing past the window (it made the news). A couple of city towers got an extremely light dusting (extremely - like lasting 30 seconds). Melbourne and Adelaide have small hills nearby (600-1000 metres) that are still really outer suburbs and they get regular smatterings of white stuff. Mount Wellington is right next to central Hobart and gets regular snow coverage. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-city-in-the-southern-hemisphere-get-snow/640911/117 "2015-11-23T15:47:35Z")
It snowed when I was in Maseru, the capital of Lesotho. I wasn’t dressed for it. There probably aren’t many southern capitals where it snows. I think Asuncion, Paraguay, had quite a bit of snow in an unusual winter in the '90s. ---
**Author:** ![Barzune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/0ea827/32.png) [@Barzune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barzune)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2016, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-city-in-the-southern-hemisphere-get-snow/640911/118 "2016-08-06T21:15:33Z")
I guess that, if I want a nice cool winter in the Southern hemisphere, I’ll have to go to Antarctica. All I was hoping for was a place to spend July and August in snow and chilly weather, but near a lake or river to fish. Only the responder from Buffalo, NY, seems to understand. Eastern Ontario, where I reside, is nice in winter (-20 to -40C), but WAY too hot in July and August at 25 to 35C. Oh well… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-city-in-the-southern-hemisphere-get-snow/640911.md?page=5)