First snowfall for 2009 season

Thanks Dom, thats an awesome site

Popular ice routes are formed enough for climbing, but ice conditions all around still seem to be thin.
See ice climbing update here.

A moderate snowfall occured over the entire Maloti-Drakensberg on July 23, freshly coating the high-lying ridges over a thin crust of old snow, including the Witteberg. Snowcover thinned rapidly over the next 2 days.

Media coverage:
www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=nw20090724052836554C719674

Extensive cloud cover over the Maloti-Drakensberg on August 1-2 eventually cleared on the 3rd to reveal a good dump of snow, particularly in the uKhahlamba Drakensberg and the corresponding Quatlamba region of Lesotho.


Interesting to note the sparse snow coverage around Matatiele (seen by the break in the snowy ridge, centre right in the picture) - due to kinfe-ridge nature of the Berg in this area, which tends not to hold much snow. The blanket becomes thick around Ben McDhui again further South.

Cold temperatures have been reported in the entire region. I have heard of -15 deg C measured at night on the escarpment in the past few days.

Media coverage:
bit.ly/2XptQx

Picture hotlinked from the above article:

Another snowfall occured 19-20 August over the uKhahlamba Drakensberg. It even snowed in Kokstad and some roads were affected. See media coverage in The Witness here .

The following picture is linked from that article and credits go to The Witness:


This satellite images shows the amount of snow from the last snowfall, the afternoon before, on August 18:


The following shows the cloud cover on the afternoon of 19 August:


Morning of August 20 - the bright blue is the snow: