The Sahara Desert town of Ain Sefra has experienced just three snow events in the past 37 years with the last two years having snow (1979, 2016, … The freak snow shower coated the giant sandy dunes of the Sahara, known first and foremost for its deadly, suffocating heat. It was seen on a section of the huge desert in the town of Ain Sefra, in Algeria. The snow melted off quickly. Wikazine – Full show notes for February 18 Image credit: Bachmont / CC BY 2.0.

The last Sahara Desert snow occurred in December 2016.
The Sahara Desert is the last place you'd expect to find snow.

With an area of 9,200,000 square kilometres (3,600,000 sq mi), it is the largest hot desert in the world and the third largest desert overall after Antarctica and the Arctic.

The Sahara Desert is often cited as the world’s largest desert. Camel caravan crosses the Sahara desert in Morocco. Snow falling on the Saharan mountain ranges is very rare, let alone on the sandy dunes of the continent’s largest desert.

The town of Ain Sefra, on the edge of the Sahara desert, was hit by icy weather last week - and even snow. Reports suggest that it is only the second time in living memory that snow has fallen on this desert. The last record is for February 18, 1979, when the snow storm lasted just half an hour. The name 'Sahara' is derived from the Arabic word for "desert", ṣaḥra (صحرا /ˈsˤaħra/). The closest town, Ain Sefra, Algeria, hadn’t seen snow … The Algerian town of Ain Sefra, deep in the dry, hot Sahara desert was hit by a freak snowfall on December 19. On Sunday, Ain Sefra, a desert town in Algeria known as the "Gateway to the Sahara," experienced a substantial amount of snow for reportedly the third time in … More than 15 inches of snow has covered the Sahara Desert town of Ain Sefra Before that, snow was last seen in Ain Sefra on February 18, 1979, when the snow storm lasted just half an hour. It's the first time snow has fallen in the region in 37 years. 1979 – for the first and only time in recorded history, it snowed in the Sahara Desert.It was in Southern Algeria and the storm only lasted a half hour. In January 2018, snow fell in a high-altitude region of the Sahara Desert located in northern Algeria. The Sahara Desert has been in its present state since about 1600 B.C., and it began forming after temperatures were increased significantly by new weather patterns caused by shifts in the Earth's axis.

For the third time in 40 years, rare snowfall in the Sahara Desert points to changing climates. Snow was pictured settling on the distinctive red tips of the Sahara desert on December 19. It is recorded rare meterological event. The area has experienced snowfall in the … Climatic models have to be created & analyzed. But Mr. Haarsma said cold air blowing in from the North Atlantic was responsible. February 17, 1979: It snows in the Saraha. The Sahara is a desert located on the African continent. It was seen on a section of the huge desert in the town of Ain Sefra, in Algeria . About 4,300 years ago, the region in which the Sahara Desert is now located is believed to have been moister and supportive of vegetation. The snow fell in the Sahara at altitudes of more than 3,000 feet, where temperatures are low anyway. The snow fell in Ain Sefra, Algeria and melted less than 24 hours later. It is, after all, one of the driest and hottest regions of the world with an average temperature of 30C.
An amateur photographer has captured rare and beautiful images of the first snowfall in the Sahara desert for nearly 40 years. But in a surreal turn of events to mark the end of an already surreal year, the small desert town of Ain Sefra in Algeria woke up yesterday to find that the red sand dunes had unexpectedly turned white. The town of Ain Sefra, on the edge of the Sahara desert, was hit by icy weather last week - and even snow.

Snow has fallen in the Sahara, covering desert dunes in a layer up to 40cm deep. Snow was pictured settling on the distinctive red tips of the Sahara desert on December 19. There are many climatic reasons that can be given, none are conclusive, unless there few more such events, then only it could be understood better. Karim Bouchetata photographed the fleeting scene on …