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Severe Snowstorm in Lesotho

NASA Earth Observatory

Jul 26, 2002
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Severe Snowstorm in Lesotho
July 25, 2002

Some snow isn't an unexpected occurrence in the mountainous terrain of the small country of Lesotho, a small, roughly circular country located between Free State Province and Eastern Cape Province in the Republic of South Africa. But over the weekend of July 20, 2002, a severe snow storm dumped several feet of snow in the Drakensbueg Mountains, and turned many parts of the country into disaster areas.

According to news reports, at least 22 people died and many more were stranded in mountain towns and camping areas, often without fuel or electricity, or food and water.

This image was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on July 25, 2002.

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Image by Jesse Allen, based on data from the MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA-GSFC

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July 25, 2002

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