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My question is simple. Which is the place closest to Equator, in any country, where has snowfall occured? By that I mean snowfall only at sea level - mountains are excluded.

I can't find anything myself on the internet with reliable sources. In fact, I have found only 1 topic about that which is from year 2001 and it's just somebody's personal record.

And second option is that if mountains are excluded but it does not be on sea level. According to Wikipedia definition, mountains height starts from 1,000 m (3,281 ft)

Rudy Gunawan
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Skyzer
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7 Answers7

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OK some success with answers:

  • Nanning, China: latitude 21°29'N and longitude 108°21'E, 1654.
  • Hong Kong - 22º 15' N, 114º 10' E, January 1893.
  • Tampico, Mexico lat 22.2965°, long -97.8659 - Feb 1895.

The 1654 Chinese snowfall, near the present-day coastal city of Beihai, was nearest to the equator, at 21 degrees, 29 minutes north latitude. Several centimeters of snow were recorded there.

References: USAToday, SnowPlowNews.

Mark Mayo
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Here's one pretty good candidate: It snowed in Hong Kong on December 14th 1975. Hong Kong lies at a latitude of 22 degrees north, nearly the same as Havana or the United Arab Emirates.

Michael Borgwardt
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Judging on the map of oceanic currents, I would say your best chances are close the Andes, West Africa, and Australia/Indonesia (see map below)

These currents have huge influence on the temperatures. Southern Europe is known as having much warmer winters then nova scotia for example that lies on the same latitude. oceanic currents (source: Creative Commons)

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Taiwan in January 2016 received snow near sea level, at 300-400 meters altitude, during the historical cold wave of that month. It is at 23°N.

Hanoi futher south but slightly inland, also got snow in some mountains south of the city.

During arctic blasts, Havana in Cuba can also receive near freeing temperatures, but its very rare. Snow is unheard as far as I know.

In south hemisphere snow has been known to fall north of Buenos Aires or in Sydney, but these are at 33 S.

Paulo Bessa
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It was in February 1899 in the Mexican Coast, just south of Tampico. Don t to be confused with the Feb 1895 snow which reached just Tampico (few flakes indeed) through Texas. The 1899 event crossed the Gulf of Mexico and skipped the southern Texan coast.

During the little ice age it was in 1654 when snow at sea level covered great part of the island of Hainan in China. This is the lowest latitude ever since the end of the ice age.

Note: DECEMBER 1975 HONG KONG SNOW WAS NOT AT SEA LEVEL, but flakes at sea level were recorded in January 1893 (correct) and also Macao.

Mark Mayo
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Maximiliano
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In 2010, it was recorded that it snowed in the southern Sahara Desert. This is most likely due to climate change, and will happen as it gets worse.

TheFilmingGamer
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During the extreme weather events of 535–536, snow fell in China in the summer, see here:

Count Iblis
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