Rare Snowfall Hits Baghdad

It's the first time in 100 years—some blame global warming
By Nick McMaster,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 11, 2008 1:05 PM CST
Rare Snowfall Hits Baghdad
An Iraqi waits for a bus as he stands under falling snow in Baghdad, 11 January 2008. Baghdadis walked up today on the scene of falling snow which is a rare event to be seen in the capital. (ALI YUSSEF/AFP/Getty Images)    (Getty Images)

Light snow flurries fell on Baghdad today for the first time in about 100 years, AFP reports. Residents were by and large delighted: "Snow falling in Baghdad in such a magnificent scene was beyond my imagination," said one retiree. A local baker agreed: "This snow will bring pleasure to the people of Iraq. It's beautiful!"

A restaurant owner told the AP he'd never seen snow before—and neither had his 80-year-old mother. "I don't know whether or not it's a lesson from God," he said. Snowfall was also reported in western and central Iraq as temperatures plunged, and an Iraqi meteorologist speculated that the snow might be a side effect of global warming. (More Baghdad stories.)

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