Last Wednesday afternoon saw unusual weather in Pico do Arieiro, where both snow and the lowest temperatures since the summer were recorded. Unusual images captured at one of the highest points of Madeira Island show white blankets of snow covering part of the mountain and the roads.
As a precaution, the Portuguese police decided to close the road to Pico do Arieiro due to snowfall and the danger this could cause to traffic. Victor Prior, director of the Meteorological Observatory of Funchal, confirmed, ‘it started to snow today at 2pm, from 1500 and 1800 meters of altitude’, adding that this was the day the lowest temperatures were recorded in the Pico do Arieiro since summer, with the thermometers recording temperatures of -2.ºC.
Photographs taken at Pico do Arieiro throughout the afternoon were shared on Facebook pages Pico Ruivo and Meteo Mir , with photo credits to followers Marco Silva and Joana Sousa.
