A windshield’s-eye view in Longview, Alberta this weekend. (Photo: National Weather Service Grand Forks/Weather Channel)

While much of the world swelters through one of the hottest summers on record, residents of the Rockies are pulling on boots and gloves. This past weekend, mountain towns in Montana and Alberta, Canada were blanketed with that rare August treasure: a few inches of snow. 

Some towns were issued frost warnings. Experts predict the snow won’t last long, as a warm front is scheduled to blast through the mountains later this week.

Summer snow isn’t super rare—mountaintops stay fairly cold, and this year they’ve harbored the white stuff in Wyoming, Colorado, and even Hawaii. It also isn’t always flags and shirtlessness, and Calgary got a storm last year that toppled hundreds of trees and knocked out power for days. The current dusting seems mostly harmless, and snowed-on residents should feel free to ship some down to more equatorial places whenever they wish.  

Every day, we track down a fleeting wonder—something amazing that’s only happening right now. Have a tip for us? Tell us about it! Send your temporary miracles to cara@atlasobscura.com.