SNOWSTORMS IN THE TRANSVAAL. 



433 



There were two small outlying areas in which snow fell, (i) 

 in the Hartingsburg- Mountains, near Warmbaths, and (2) in 

 the Schweizer Reneke district. 



Fig. I. 



Area of Snowfall over Eastern South Africa, ^.ugust 16-18, 1909. The 

 inner shaded area denotes the region of heaviest snowfall. 



By combining all the reports received as to the depth of 

 snow lying on the ground it has been estimated that the average 

 depth over the snow area was about /■3 inches. Over the 

 Central Wit water srand District the depth was about ten 

 inches. 



The reports received by the Meteorological Department of 

 the Orange River Colony show that snow fell generally over 

 the north and east of that Colony. The amount of snow-fall 

 was greatest in the districts of Frankfort, Heilbron, \'rede. and 

 Harrismith, the depth varying from 4 inches to 12 inches. 



Falls of snow were also reported to the Natal Observatory 

 from Newcastle, Dundee, Greytown, and Umsinga. At 

 Charlestown 12 inches of snow fell, beginning on the evening 

 of the i6th and ending on the i8th. 



The following remarks as to the atmospheric conditions 

 which preceded and accompanied this snowstorm are based 

 upon synoptic weather charts prepared in the Transvaal (Obser- 

 vatory. 



On 9 a.m. on Saturday, August 14th, 1909, the pressure dis- 

 tribution over South Africa was very disturbed. There was a 

 large depression lying off the south-east coast and extending 

 over Natal as a secondary. Strong northerly winds prevailed 



