Apart from Ceres and some parts of the eastern Free State, bordering Lesotho, we don’t really get much snow here in South Africa.

When we do, it’s a light covering, and most of it happens high up in our mountain ranges.

As a result, we tend to view snow the way it’s represented in films – light, fluffy, and fun to play in.

Sure, some snow can be fun if you don’t mind the cold, but then there’s the kind of snow that happened recently in the town of St. John’s, Canada.

According to the Washington Post, a historic blizzard slammed the town, covering it in 30 inches (76cm) of snow in the short space of 24 hours. Some drifts were recorded as being up to 12 feet high.

A time-lapse video captured via a security camera shows a car, yard, and patio slowly disappearing under the snow:

Other videos show cars completely buried:

This. Is. Crazy. #StateofEmergency #nlwhiteout #snowstorm #nlweather #blizzard #Newfoundland #nlblizzard2020 #nlstorm #nltraffic @VOCMNEWS @hitsfm #Snowpocalypse2020 #Snowmageddon pic.twitter.com/eanqZGKdLo

— Samantha Foley (@SamanthaLee20) January 18, 2020

The unprecedented snowfall in St. John’s buried countless cars overnight, including this one. #NLStorm2020 pic.twitter.com/oYDY3ujbJG

— CBC Newfoundland and Labrador (@CBCNL) January 19, 2020

A state of emergency was declared, and the Canadian armed forces were sent in to help clear the deluge.

“Newfoundlanders are going to be talking about this for a very, very long time,” said Ashley Brauweiler, a meteorologist for the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. in the province.

Her station lost power during the storm and had to stop broadcasting. At one point, she told The Washington Post, people there couldn’t even open the door because of the snow that had piled up on the other side.

The storm was a meteorological “bomb,” having undergone a process of rapid intensification known as bombogenesis. With its central air pressure dropping quickly, the storm drew surrounding air into its center, causing sustained winds in some parts of Newfoundland and Labrador to reach 74 mph or greater, with higher gusts. The winds combined with the heavy snowfall to create whiteout conditions.

Five days after the initial storm, and people are still working to free their towns from the snow.

VICE is calling it a “snowpocalypse”.

You can read a firsthand account of what’s happening in St. John’s here.

[source:washingtonpost]