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June 14, 2025 - Winter Snow in Lesotho and South Africa
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A powerful storm system brought wintry conditions to Lesotho and South Africa in early June 2025. Snow blanketed higher elevations, while strong winds, cold temperatures, and heavy rains affected lower-elevation and coastal areas.
The severe weather was fueled by a cut-off low, which occurs when an area of low pressure becomes cut off from the jet stream. The weather system parked over central and eastern South Africa and Lesotho on June 9 and 10. By June 11, the storm had subsided leaving lingering snow.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image on June 13. The image shows fresh snow covering much of Lesotho, as well as portions of South Africa’s Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces. The snow created treacherous driving conditions and prompted closures of several sections of highway, according to news reports.
Snow is typically sparse during the area’s short winter, although heavy snowfall occasionally occurs. In northern Lesotho, at an elevation of 3,050 meters (10,000 feet), the country’s sole ski resort maintains artificial snow on slopes that might otherwise be bare. But a different look ushered in the 2025 season. On June 9, the resort shared a video of whiteout conditions and a simple message: “We are snowed in.” They later reported accumulations of about 30 centimeters (12 inches).
To the south and east of snow-affected regions, heavy rain triggered deadly flooding that submerged homes and damaged dozens of schools and hospitals, officials told news outlets. In addition, winds gusting up to 100 kilometers (60 miles) per hour toppled trees and knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of homes.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 6/13/2025
Resolutions:
1km (259.9 KB), 500m (725.5 KB), 250m (530.8 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
A powerful storm system brought wintry conditions to Lesotho and South Africa in early June 2025. Snow blanketed higher elevations, while strong winds, cold temperatures, and heavy rains affected lower-elevation and coastal areas.
The severe weather was fueled by a cut-off low, which occurs when an area of low pressure becomes cut off from the jet stream. The weather system parked over central and eastern South Africa and Lesotho on June 9 and 10. By June 11, the storm had subsided leaving lingering snow.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image on June 13. The image shows fresh snow covering much of Lesotho, as well as portions of South Africa’s Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces. The snow created treacherous driving conditions and prompted closures of several sections of highway, according to news reports.
Snow is typically sparse during the area’s short winter, although heavy snowfall occasionally occurs. In northern Lesotho, at an elevation of 3,050 meters (10,000 feet), the country’s sole ski resort maintains artificial snow on slopes that might otherwise be bare. But a different look ushered in the 2025 season. On June 9, the resort shared a video of whiteout conditions and a simple message: “We are snowed in.” They later reported accumulations of about 30 centimeters (12 inches).
To the south and east of snow-affected regions, heavy rain triggered deadly flooding that submerged homes and damaged dozens of schools and hospitals, officials told news outlets. In addition, winds gusting up to 100 kilometers (60 miles) per hour toppled trees and knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of homes.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 6/13/2025
Resolutions:
1km (259.9 KB), 500m (725.5 KB), 250m (530.8 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
