In Pictures

In Pictures: Rare snowfall delights Iraqis

Iraqis young and old said it was the first time they had ever seen snow falling in Baghdad.

Seagulls fly over the Tigris river as its banks are covered with snow after a blizzard in the old town of Iraq''s northern city of Mosul on February 10, 2020. (Photo by Zaid AL-OBEIDI / AFP) — Seagulls fly over the Tigris river as its banks are covered with snow after a blizzard in the old town of Iraq's northern city of Mosul. [Zaid Al-Obeidi/AFP]

Residents of Baghdad rushed to have snowball fights or take photographs Tuesday as the Iraqi capital woke carpeted in white by only its second snowfall in a century.

The last recorded snowfall in the city was in 2008, but it was a quick and mostly slushy affair, and prior to that, it had been a century since Baghdad saw any flakes.

Iraqis young and old said it was the first time they had ever seen snow falling in Baghdad.

“Snowfall may continue until Wednesday given the very cold weather,” said Amer al-Jaberi, media head of the Iraqi Meteorological Centre. “This cold wave came from Europe,” he told the AFP news agency.

The people of Baghdad are more used to heat than cold.

The highest temperature recorded in the capital was a searing 51 degrees Celsius (124 degrees Fahrenheit), a record it has neared several times in recent years.

South of the capital, snow also carpeted the Shia holy city of Karbala, which draws pilgrims from around the world to its famed shrines, the golden-domed mausoleums of Abbas and Imam Hussein.

Snowfall is more common in northern Iraq, where snow covered the war-battered city of Mosul, but in the centre and south, there is rarely enough precipitation.

Iraq has been hit by a succession of extreme weather events in recent years.

In 2018, chronic water shortages sparked a health crisis in the centre and south but the following year, heavy rains caused deadly flooding and significant damage to homes and crops.

Blistering temperatures then hit the north triggering wildfires and scorching crops.

Experts say Iraq lacks the funding or infrastructure to cope with climate change and the desertification of once productive land.

Fresh snow falls in Tahrir Square while anti-government protesters stage a sit-in, Baghdad, Iraq, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2020. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban) — Fresh snow falls over Tahrir Square in Baghdad while anti-government protesters stage a sit-in. [Hadi Mizban/AP Photo]

An Iraqi girl plays with her mother in the snow in the holy Shiite city of Karbala on February 11, 2020. - Iraq''s capital Baghdad woke up covered in a thin layer of fresh snow, an extremely rare pheno — Iraq's capital Baghdad woke up covered in a thin layer of fresh snow, an extremely rare phenomenon for one of the world's hottest countries. [Atta Kenare/AFP]

Iraqis shake snow off a tree at a park in the holy Shiite city of Karbala on February 11, 2020. - Iraq''s capital Baghdad woke up covered in a thin layer of fresh snow, an extremely rare phenomenon for — The last recorded snowfall in the city was in 2008. [Mohammed Sawaf/AFP]

An Iraqi boy poses with his snow covered hat in the holy Shiite city of Karbala on February 11, 2020. - Iraq''s capital Baghdad woke up covered in a thin layer of fresh snow, an extremely rare phenomen — For many Iraqis, it was the first time they had ever seen snow falling in Baghdad. [Mohammed Sawaf/AFP]

Iraqi boys shake snow off a tree at a park in the holy Shiite city of Karbala on February 11, 2020. - Iraq''s capital Baghdad woke up covered in a thin layer of fresh snow, an extremely rare phenomenon — Iraqi boys shake snow off a tree at a park in the city of Karbala. [Mohammed Sawaf/AFP]

This picture taken on February 10, 2020 amidst a heavy snow storm shows a view along Sarjkhana street in the old town of Iraq''s northern city Mosul with the background showing the dome of the Nuri mos — The Sarjkhana street in the old town of Mosul. [Zaid Al-Obeidi/AFP]

People pose for pictures in the snow-covered Tigris river bank of the war-ravaged old town of Iraq''s northern city of Mosul after a blizzard on February 10, 2020. (Photo by Zaid AL-OBEIDI / AFP) — Snowfall is more common in northern Iraq, where snow covered the war-battered city of Mosul, but in the centre and south there is rarely enough precipitation. [Zaid Al-Obeidi/AFP]

This picture taken on February 10, 2020 shows a view of the snow-covered Tigris river bank of the war-ravaged old town of Iraq''s northern city of Mosul following a heavy snow storm. (Photo by Zaid AL- — Iraq has been hit by a succession of extreme weather events in recent years. [Zaid Al-Obeidi/AFP]