South Africans Endure One Of The Harshest Winters In Years
Julie Farby - All Headline News Staff Writer Johannesburg, South Africa (AHN)-While the United States and Europe endure one of the warmest summers on record, South Africans are facing one of their harshest winters in years, with at least four deaths blamed on flooding from heavy rain that has caused travel delays in the south and west of the country. The national weather service says Johannesburg saw flurries Wednesday for the first time in at least eight years, with stunned office workers pressed against windows to savor the spectacle. Freezing temperatures are not unusual at higher altitudes during the winter, but heavy snow has fallen in some interior towns that rarely experience such weather. Weather SA also says more snow and gale force winds were expected Thursday in some areas. Torrential rains have caused flooding along the southern coast, including the town of George in the Western Cape province, where a rain-swollen river swept a car from a bridge. Police recovered two men and two children who had been inside the vehicle, but rescuers were looking for a fifth person believed to have been in the car. Authorities say homes were flooded, sending scores of families to seek shelter at a community center and school. Local news reports that heavy snow, rain and falling rocks closed mountain roads in parts of the interior, including a border post with Lesotho. Meanwhile, airport officials say the George |
