Tristan da Cunha Community News 2016

Snow visible on cliffs above the Settlement on Sea Sunday

Photos from Dawn Repetto

On Saturday 25th June 2016 it was cold, wet and chilly in the Settlement, with several hail storms. Temperatures below 5C in the village meant heating was needed to keep warm inside houses as families settled in for the evening.

The Tristan Settlement has never experienced sub-zero temperatures as the surrounding ocean always warms the air. Nevertheless temperatures drop during the longer winter nights, and freezing temperatures at high altitudes mean precipitation on the mountain falls as snow. On Sunday 26th June snow was clearly visible from the village on the higher cliffs beyond the Goat Ridge above about 2500ft above sea level. Similar scenes occur typically from June-September but the snow soon melts. At higher altitudes snow may lie for longer periods during the winter, but always melts by spring in the temperate South Atlantic.