Brazil has experienced rare snowfall as temperatures plummeted around the country.
As a result of the falling temperatures and the snow, there are worries that one of the world's most powerful agricultural nations may be hit with crop failures, particularly in terms of coffee, sugar and fruit. However, many people made the most of the snow, taking pictures and throwing snowballs.
Prices on the stock exchange for coffee and sugar have already surged, meaning higher prices could be past on to consumers around the world in order to make up for the shortfall.
The cold-snap was widespread, with 40 cities in the state of Rio Grande do Sul and 33 municipalities experiencing ice and snow.
Truck driver Iodor Goncalves Marques, of Cambara do Sul, said he had never seen snow before, telling TV Globo network:
"I am 62 years old and had never seen the snow, you know? To see nature's beauty is something indescribable."
Joselaine da Silva Marques told TV Globo:
"It was worth it. Actually, you almost do not feel the cold because of how exciting the snow is. It is marvellous, it is marvellous!"
It is thought that the cold weather will now move onto Sao Paulo and Minas Gerais which are major agricultural centres, bringing further problems for the sector. High winds are also to be expected.
The unusual cold weather in Brazil is just one of many highly unusual weather events across the world recorded in the last year. Earlier this year, Canada and the United States was hit with a massive heatwave that killed hundreds, and wildfires have ravaged many parts of the US and Australia. In Russian parts of Siberia hit record temperatures and it is feared that a melt of permafrost could release huge amounts of carbon into the atmosphere.
All of these weather events are being blamed on man-made global warming, and things are expected to become more extreme as the years progress.
[h/t: Reuters]
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