Iraqis in the cities of Baghdad, Mosul and Karbala woke up to a rare sight of snow blanketing the landscape on Feb. 11.
Second snowfall in a century for Baghdad
According to Al Jazeera and Middle East Monitor (MEMO), the sight of snow was particularly significant for Baghdad, given that it was only the second time in a century that the Iraqi capital had received snow since 2008.
Multiple images and videos of the scene have since spread on Twitter, much to the excitement of Iraqi netizens.
Amer al-Jaberi, media head of the Iraqi Meteorological Centre, was quoted by AFP as stating that the snow had been the result of a cold wave coming in from Europe.
He added that the snowfall could continue until Feb. 12, as a result of the "very cold weather".
In contrast, the hottest temperature ever recorded in Baghdad was 51°C -- a record that the city has approached several times in recent years, Aljazeera reported.
Brief moment of relief for Iraqi protesters
Both the Washington Post and Time reported that the snow brought a brief moment of relief to Iraqis who have been protesting against the government over corruption since October 2019.
Thus far, over 500 people have died in the protests, with the government having used live rounds to crack down on the protesters.
A protester added that the snow had largely melted by noon in most parts of Baghdad.
She added,"Now life goes back to normal."
Snow over the battered city of Mosul
Images of snow falling on the city of Mosul were also circulated on social media.
Parts of the city still lie in ruins from an operation launched by the Iraqi government to retake the city from the terrorist group ISIS in 2017.
According to a tweet by Mosul Eye, an account set up by Iraqi historian Omar Mohammed to initially document life under ISIS, this is the first time that it has snowed in the city in the 21st century.
Previously, it had snowed only thrice in Mosul in the 20th century -- in 1917, 1980s and again in the 1990s.
Snow in the southern Iraqi city of Karbala
Videos and images of snowfall in the southern Iraqi city of Karbala, the holy city for Shia Muslims, were also circulated on social media.
CNA reported that while snowfall is more common in northern Iraq, it is an extremely rare phenomenon in the country's central and southern regions given the lack of precipitation.
Top image from Mosul Eye Twitter