Snow falls on Mount Kinabalu in East M'sia supposedly for first time in 29 years

Another media report said snow fell as recent as 2018.

Belmont Lay | March 01, 2022, 02:32 AM

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Snow fell on Mount Kinabalu in East Malaysia on Monday, Feb. 28 morning, supposedly for the first time in 29 years, taking climbers by surprise.

The last time it snowed on the tallest peak in Southeast Asia was in 1993, according to Malay Mail.

However, New Straits Times reported that the last time it snowed there was in May 2018.

Video of snow watched close to 900,000 times in one day

Witnesses of the phenomenon recorded videos of snow falling just before 7am, which was shared widely on social media.

The snowfall lasted for about 3 minutes.

In one video, a person could be heard exclaiming: “Salji turun! Salji turun! Opurak!”

This meant: "Snow is falling! Snow is falling! It is white!"

The snow was seen at an elevation of 3,668m above sea level.

How common is snowfall on Mount Kinabalu?

Snowfall is uncommon on the mountain, with snow recorded in 1975 and in 1993 previously, Borneo Post Online reported.

Sabah Parks manager Justinus Guntabid said those who witnessed the snowfall can consider themselves lucky.

However, Sabah Meteorology Department director, Amirzudi Hashim, said snow happens when the conditions are right, such as when the temperature drops to zero degrees Celsius or lower and with the right humidity level.

It could also be a case of snow falling regularly at certain locations, but no one was around to witness it during those times.

Top photo via

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