Snow blankets Argentina's Mar del Plata as a record polar cold wave grips the country

Mar del Plata, one of the main tourist destinations on Argentina's Atlantic coast, woke up covered in snow on Thursday morning. The rare sight for the temperate-climate city became the most widely shared image of the intense polar cold wave sweeping the country.

Thermometers read around one degree below zero, with a wind-chill close to minus three. Snow and sleet were recorded from the early hours in various parts of the General Pueyrredón district, with heavier accumulation in the Sierra de los Padres area.

The cold snap pushed up heating demand across the country, and officials urged residents to take precautions against the weather. Meteorological services said low temperatures could persist in the coming days.