The porteños (descendants of the original European inhabitants of Buenos Aires) love to analyze and debate everything. Snow is no exception, though it is just a little harder to argue a topic once every century. I thought you might like to read part of this article, dated 10 July.
"When it floats, it's snow," said someone, as if, when happening upon the topic, to open a debate in which the majority of the porteños had never thought to participate... until yesterday. And once having set themselves to analyze whether this matter falling from the sky were actually snow, sleet (a more humid subtype), or ashes from some chimney, they pulled out all kinds of reasoning.
"It doesn't stay on the ground: it's sleet", fenced the doorman of a building in the street Santiago del Estero, in the heart of the Monserrat quarter. The man is from the province of Entre Ríos and had never, not even from a distance, seen this phenomenon which surprised the incredulous inhabitants of the city. Even so, he stated his opinion with an authority of expertise before the neighbors, who also tried to contribute something scientific. "The temperature didn't fall to zero [Celsius], so it isn't snow yet," offered a woman who had come down from the third floor to observe the still falling snow.
...[Brief scientific explanation]...
"The forecasts from Thursday and Friday were giving snowfalls in the Capital, but we hesitated to say this in advance, because a phenomenon that happens every hundred years is very difficult to announce...." said an inspector from the National Meteorological Service.
... For now, this experience of snow in the city... has turned into a challenge for the ever-ready "analyzometer" of the porteños, more accustomed to other kinds of debates.
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