New Zealand capital delights in rare snowfall as southern city residents ski down world’s steepest street
New Zealand experienced a rare and significant Antarctic cold snap that brought snowfall to Wellington for the first time in 15 years. Residents in Dunedin celebrated the weather by skiing and snowboarding down local streets, including the world's steepest street, Baldwin Street.
Why it matters
The event highlights the impact of extreme weather patterns on urban environments and the social response to rare meteorological phenomena.
Snow in the New Zealand city of Dunedin. Photograph: Mark Stevenson Snow in the New Zealand city of Dunedin. Photograph: Mark Stevenson New Zealand New Zealand capital delights in rare snowfall as southern city residents ski down world’s steepest street Snow falls in Wellington for the first time in 15 years while snow blanketed Dunedin and Christchurch on the country’s south island
Prefer the Guardian on Google Temperatures have plummeted across New Zealand as an Antarctic cold snap hovers over the country, delighting the capital, Wellington, which experienced snow for the first time in 15 years, while giving a southern city’s residents a chance to ski through the streets.
The front moved in on Tuesday, with much of the country waking to freezing conditions, frosts, snowfall, hail and bitingly cold wind.
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