Things that are cool.

On Monday it snowed in Buenos Aires for the first time in nearly a hundred years (since 1918). It was Independence day, so most people were off work, and ran out to play in the snow, which fell for hours. The national weather service (SMN – Servicio Meteorologico Nacional) saw a chance for snow, but thought the possibility so far fetched, they were reluctant to include it in their forecasts.

• Coverage of the event in English
• La Nacion’s archival photos of the June 1918 snowfall
• La Nacion’s photos of Monday’s snowfall
• Coverage from La Nacion and El Clarin(in Spanish)
• A remembrance of the 1918 snowfall from El Clarin (in Spanish)
• Tango composer Bardi witnessed the 1918 snowfall on his way back from the horse races in La Plata, and created a tango about it called “Que Noche!“, which got plenty of radio play this past Monday.

It is strange, strange to see all those familiar places in snow.