Residents in Raub, Pahang were left surprised and excited after small white particles were seen drifting down from the sky shortly before a rainstorm, prompting some to believe that it was “snowing” in the tropical town.
The rare sighting occurred on Saturday (Dec 13) at around 5.30pm in Taman Dali, where residents quickly took out their phones to record the unusual moment and share it with friends and neighbours.
Malaysia is known for its hot and humid tropical climate, with frequent rainfall throughout the year. While hailstones are occasionally reported during heavy storms, snowfall is virtually unheard of in the country, making the incident all the more intriguing to locals.
Resident thought it was snow
Speaking to Sin Chew Daily, Cai Yu Ting (transliteration), a 46-year-old housewife, said she was at home when the incident happened.
She recalled being in the living room downstairs when her son suddenly told her that something unusual was falling from the sky and that it did not look like rain.
I ran to the door to take a look and saw white particles floating down like snowflakes,” she said.
Surprised by the sight, Cai quickly recorded a video using her mobile phone and shared it in the neighbourhood chat group, sparking lively discussion among residents who found the scene novel and exciting.
First time seeing such a phenomenon
Cai added that a friend later told her the video looked exactly like scenes of snowfall she had seen while travelling overseas, which further convinced her that it resembled snow.
However, she noted that the phenomenon lasted for only about five minutes before heavy rain began.
Cai, who moved to Taman Dali Phase 2 three years ago, said this was her first time witnessing such fine, snow-like particles.
“In the past, I’ve only seen hailstones about the size of a thumb, which would hit zinc rooftops loudly. This time, the particles were very fine and light.”
What residents saw was likely graupel
Despite the excitement, experts explained that the white particles seen in Raub were most likely graupel, rather than actual snow.
According to weather explanations published online, graupel forms when strong updrafts inside clouds during monsoon conditions or thunderstorms carry water droplets to colder, higher altitudes, where they rapidly freeze into small ice crystals.
As these ice crystals fall, they may partially melt, causing them to appear like snowflakes as they drift down, even though they are technically graupel.
Graupel consists of small, opaque white ice pellets, usually spherical or cone-shaped, with diameters ranging between 2 and 5 millimetres.
They are brittle and easily crushed, and are known by various names in different regions, such as rice snow, snow pellets or snow grains.
Raub, which experiences a typical tropical rainforest climate with high temperatures and humidity year-round, does not have conditions suitable for sustained snowfall, as temperatures remain well above freezing.
