Colorado has experienced a late bout of winter weather this week as residents of Denver and the surrounding areas experienced their largest May snowstorm in 23 years. An outbreak of Arctic air brought freezing cold temperatures that allowed for rainfall to turn widely to snow on Tuesday afternoon, continuing into Wednesday for much of the centre and north of the state.

Denver was the hardest-hit metropolitan area with snow depths of 10-15cm (4-6in) across the city, and 15-20cm in some southern and western suburbs. Denver international airport recorded 15cm, causing hundreds of flight delays, and 35 cancellations.

The snow piled up on the Rocky mountains, with more than 70cm falling in the town of Estes Park, north-west of Denver. It was too little too late for popular ski resorts such as Vail and Breckenridge, which are now closed for the season. Snowfall in Colorado is most common in February and March, later in the winter than many other areas, but to receive this amount of snow in May is rare.

A rapid warming trend began on Thursday, however, with daytime maximums approaching 20C (68F) in places. The snow began to thaw quickly, transforming Denver from a winter wonderland to a warm spring scene by the afternoon.

In south-eastern South Africa, an extreme rainfall event unfolded on Wednesday as heavy thunderstorms affected the city of Gqeberha, formerly known as Port Elizabeth. An area of low pressure stalled off the coast of the Eastern Cape province, bringing torrential rain onshore throughout the day, with the inland Drakensberg mountains only intensifying the event.

Rainfall totals of 100-150mm caused flooding across the Eastern Cape, causing damage and leading to more than 2,000 people being evacuated and moved into emergency shelters. Local authorities warned of overtopping waters at dams, after the Kouga dam in the Gamtoos Valley reached 113% of its capacity. The South African Weather Service kept disruptive rainfall warnings in place for further impacts on Thursday.