Snow Amid Summer Heat in Shanghai, China

With the citys temperatures reaching up to 37.9 degrees Celsius (100.2 degrees Fahrenheit), it snowed and hailed in Shanghai, China on July 26.

Snow and hailstones fell on several districts, including Jingan, Pudong, and Huangpu, netizens from which posted photos and videos of the event online.

Photos from Shanghai University of Finance and Economics Zhejiang College show the road and trees covered with snow, and bulldozers were used to clear the path, which appears to have accumulated a couple inches of snow.

Hail is formed when the ground is heated by the sun, thus heating the air near the ground. Having a lower density than colder air, the heated air rises and cools, and results in a lower capacity for holding moisture. Water vapor thus condenses and forms cumulonimbus clouds. With strong convection currents of hot and cold air, ice crystals formed in cumulonimbus clouds fall as hail.

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However, according to an expert from the citys Meteorological Administration quoted by Chinese media Xinhua News, its impossible that it snowed because of the hot weather, and the possibility of hail was low.

There have been several instances of summer snow recorded in China in the past 30 years. In particular, a snowfall in June 1981 reached a depth of 25 centimeters (10 inches).

In Chinese culture, summer snows are regarded as an indication of injustice having taken place.

See pictures of the snow and hail at http://bit.ly/pXdnjM and http://bit.ly/r0EKXO
See a video of the snow at http://bit.ly/pm0Qdr
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