Approximately 16 inches of snow has actually fallen on an town in the Sahara desert after a freak winter storm hit the location on Sunday.
This is the 3rd time in 37 years that the town of Ain Sefra in Algeria has seen snow cover the red sand dunes of the desert.
Snow started falling in the early hours of Sunday morning and it rapidly began settling on the sand.
Let it snow: Approximately 16 inches of snow fell on the town of Ain Sefra in Algeria on Sunday
Unusual sight: The usually orange-coloured dune of the Sahara desert were covered in snow
This is the third time in 37 years that the town of Ain Sefra in Algeria has seen snow
While the town saw an inch or two, the sand dunes on its borders were covered in snow.
Professional photographer Karim Bouchetata stated: ‘We were truly surprised when we got up to see snow once again. It remained all the time on Sunday and began melting at around 5pm.’
In 2016, the town referred to as ‘The Entrance to the Desert’ saw deep snow shortly after Christmas and it caused turmoil, with travelers stranded on buses after the roadways became slippery and icy.
Come January 2017, the town saw snowfall yet once again, and children made snowmen as well as sledged on the sand dunes.
Prior to that, snow was last seen in Ain Sefra on February 18, 1979, when the snow storm lasted just half an hour.
A representative for the Met Office stated today: ‘Cold air was pulled down south into North Africa over the weekend as an outcome of high pressure over Europe.
Going, going, gone: By 5pm in the afternoon, the snow had disappeared from the dune
Uncommon: The Saharan desert town has only seen snow 3 times int he past 37 years – in 1979, in 2016 and in 2017
Steps: The snowy footprints of individuals strolling on the snow is all that remains as the dunes are warmed up
‘The high pressure suggested the winter extended additional south than regular.’
Ain Sefra lies around 3,280 ft above water level and surrounded by the Atlas Mountains.
In spite of its elevation, it is extremely rare to see snow in the town, and it is normally 6 to 12 degrees Celsius in January.
The Sahara Desert covers the majority of Northern Africa and it has actually gone through shifts in temperature level and moisture over the past few hundred thousand years.
Source
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5246347/Snow-Sahara-desert-time-40-years.html
