Temperatures fell sharply in mid-Atlantic this past weekend with snow falling in both archipelagos of Madeira and the Azores, where temperatures registered below minus  4 centigrade, the lowest in the last 40 years.

 In Madeira snow fell Sunday afternoon attracting sightseers to Poiso and Pico do Arieiro. In the Azores snow fell in the mountainous areas of São Miguel, Santa Maria and Pico islands.

Madeira and the Azores characteristically enjoy mild winters where the average temperature is around 17 centigrade at this time of year.

According to meteorological sources, the low temperatures registered were caused by a mass of cold air from polar seas that came over the islands on Sunday.