Weather Karaoke: Possibility for holiday snow in Africa?

In this segment of Weather Karaoke, AccuWeather's Aeriella Scalese discusses where and when snowfall is most likely across the continent of Africa.

Transcript

00:00And welcome to our special holiday edition of Weather Karaoke, where we dive deeper into

00:10the meteorological beating behind popular lyrics.

00:13We're taking a nostalgic trip down memory lane to explore the iconic Christmas song

00:17that touched millions of hearts worldwide.

00:20By the way, the song is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.

00:24The powerful lyrics and haunting melody struck a chord with listeners around the world, highlighting

00:28the stark contrast between the festive celebrations in the West and the dire conditions in Ethiopia.

00:35So today on Weather Karaoke, we are asking, will there be snow in Africa this Christmas?

00:40Well, snowfall in Africa is more likely during the winter months, which vary depending on

00:44the region.

00:45Morocco is in the northern hemisphere, so winter is from December to February.

00:50During this period, higher elevations in the Atlas Mountains are more likely to experience

00:55snowfall.

00:57At the equatorial region, snow can occur any time of year at the very high elevations,

01:01such as the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, due to its permanent glaciers.

01:05In South Africa, winter is from June to August, so snowfall is more common in the high-altitude

01:10areas, such as Drakensbergs Mountain, during these months.

01:13It can also snow in Ethiopia.

01:16And back in November, it was actually South Africa that received its first November snowfall

01:21in 85 years.

01:22It was from a low-pressure system that brought cold air, heavy rain, and yes, snow.

01:28This was a very unusual event, since November is considered late spring and is part of the

01:33southern hemisphere.

01:35The weather pattern for Christmas week, I had a touch base here with our international

01:39team to help me with this one, and it shows that there's likely going to be a strong ridge

01:43over Western Europe next week, with a closed low over Southeast Europe.

01:48So Morocco and Algeria can actually be milder than normal, with any cold air moving over

01:53Libya and Egypt, closer to that upper low.

01:56So will there be snow in Africa this Christmas?

02:00Earlier in the week, it looked like there may have been a chance in the Atlas Mountains,

02:04but the answer is, well, probably not.

02:08Unlike some DJs, I am taking requests.

02:10What songs about weather do you want me to dive into?

02:14You can email them to me at ariella.scalise at accuweather.com, or if you're on social

02:19media, you can message me there.