It snowed for the first time in 64 years in Brazil due to a polar air mass traveling towards the country’s sub-tropical center-south, according to Business Insider. The event is likely caused by climate change but this did not stop Brazilians from marveling at and enjoying the snow that blanketed their streets and homes.
“I am 62 years old and had never seen the snow, you know? To see nature’s beauty is something indescribable,” said truck driver Iodor Goncalves Marques in Cambara do Sul, a municipality of Rio Grande do Sul state, speaking to TV Globo network, according to Business Insider.
But it wasn’t all good news. In the state of Rio Grande do Sul, the snow put agriculture at risk. This meant coffee, sugarcane, and orange crops were all threatened.
This resulted in coffee and sugar prices rising worldwide.
For those who might think that snow is not related to global warming, it is important to heed the words of the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF).
“It may seem counterintuitive, but more snowfall during winter storms is an expected outcome of climate change. That’s because a warmer planet is evaporating more water into the atmosphere. That added moisture means more precipitation in the form of heavy snowfall or downpours,” wrote the EDF.
Climate Central also agrees with this fact.
“Counterintuitively, global warming could actually cause colder regions to experience greater snowfall in the near to medium term. That’s because warmer air “holds” more moisture—about four percent more per degree Fahrenheit (1 F difference is ~ 1.8 C)—and that additional moisture can fall as snow when temperatures are below freezing,” write the researchers.
This all means that it is our warming planet that is causing snowfall in areas that never had it before and this is not a good thing. But hey, at least it’s a novelty for the time being!
ABOUT THE EDITOR
Loukia Papadopoulos <p>Loukia Papadopoulos is a journalist, writer, and editor with previous experience with the United Nations Momentum for Change, Leo Burnett and Al Arabiya English. She holds a D.E.C. in Pure and Applied Sciences from Marianopolis College, a B.A. in Communications and an M.Sc. in Geography, Urban and Environmental Studies from Concordia University.</p>
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