Climate Poetic justice in the land of ETS. From the Sydney Morning Herald:

Freak snowfall has NZ reeling

WELLINGTON: New Zealand is shivering through a one-in-50-year polar blast that has brought snow to much of the country, the weather service says.

A bitterly cold southerly blast has caused snow to fall in areas of New Zealand which do not usually receive it, making roads impassable in many areas on both islands, closing airports and cutting power to thousands.

Staff at Wellington Zoo took advantage of the first major snowfall in the capital for 40 years to give the visiting penguin ”Happy Feet” a dip in an icy saltwater pool.

…

The MetService head forecaster, Peter Kreft, said the polar blast was ”of the order of a 50-year” event and warned it could last for days. The level of snow that had fallen in Wellington had not been seen since at least the 1970s, he said. In Wanganui in the North Island, snow had settled for the first time since 1974, Constable Simon Beswarick said. … The MetService has forecast the heavy snow to continue today before easing tomorrow. It is unlikely to continue down to sea level. Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/environment/weather/freak-snowfall-has-nz-reeling-20110815-1iuv2.html#ixzz1VANJIP9T

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