It’s rare to see snow in Taiwan, but recently, Taiwan’s mountains have seen sleet. That’s because the island has been hit with yet another cold mass after several weeks of nice weather.
Sleet started to fall as a strong cold front hit Hehuan Mountain in Nantou County, central Taiwan, right after the Lunar New Year holiday.
When it started falling at 6:00 in the morning, it was still dark out and the mercury was down at -1C. The ice pellets were the size of grains of rice.
Visitors came to the mountains hoping to see rare snow, but since wintry weather of any kind is rare in Taiwan, they were just as excited to be met with sleet instead.
Before noon, though, the sun showed itself and the sleet melted away quickly, leaving the roads slippery and wet. Authorities called for drivers to put snow chains on their car tires before heading up the mountains as a safety precaution.