Malaysia was shocked by the occurrence of snowfall. The incident caused an uproar on the neighboring country's social media.
The phenomenon occurred at the peak of Mount Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. A person who was climbing the highest mountain in Borneo was recording snow flakes falling from the sky.
Quoted from Mashable, Wednesday (2/3/2022) a Facebook user account named Mountain Torq shows snowfall on Mount Kinabalu.
"It's snowing! It's snowing! It's snowing in Kinabalu," said the man.
From the viral video, it was raining at Sayat-Sayat Hut, a climbing post located at the top of the mountain, about 3,600 meters above sea level.
Wandy John's Facebook account also shows snowfall adorning the peak of Mount Kinabalu. How happy he was to see a rare phenomenon in front of him, considering the location of Kinabalu in Malaysia which is a tropical area.
According to the Director General of the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia), Muhammad Helmi Abdullah, the snowfall on Mount Kinabalu is possible. However, there are conditions that must be met.
As long as there is sufficient humidity, he said, snowfall can occur whenever the air temperature drops to zero degrees Celsius or even minus minus.
"Usually what happens is we see frost, which is a blanket of ice flakes on the earth's surface, usually on cold rocks. But sometimes, snow can also occur when temperatures are below freezing and humidity is sufficient," he said.
"Below-zero weather or during high winds, can contribute to snow formation, a phenomenon we rarely see, but can happen," he concluded.