Residents of South Africa’s largest city, Johannesburg, were surprised when they woke up last Monday to find everything covered in snow. This is the first snowfall in 11 years with some children seeing such images for the first time.

While parts of South Africa regularly receive snow in the southern hemisphere’s winter months from June to August, Johannesburg last saw snow in August 2012, according to the Guardian website.

On social media, Johannesburg residents described the snow as “pure magic”, and a “great start to the week”.

University of the Witwatersra professor of physical geography

nd Jennifer Fitchett told South Africa’s Times newspaper that the snow was unlikely to last and was caused by rising humidity, low temperatures and cold air.

“It happens once every 10 years or so. We’re not an area that gets a lot of snow and that’s partly because we have dry conditions in the winter,” he said.

It last snowed in 2012 and before that in 2007, he said.

South of town in Brackenhurst, a Reuters photographer saw children making snowballs and snow angels in the grounds of a school. However, for some others, commuting was difficult.

The South African Meteorological Service issued warnings due to the cold front that hit Gauteng province, which includes Johannesburg and the capital Pretoria.