Rare Snowfall in Sahara Desert Covers Sand Dunes in Ice

Known primarily for being a searing and sandy wasteland, a part of the Sahara Desert has been blanketed in snowfall – an exceedingly rare, and dazzling, winter spectacle in the treacherous dunes of the desert.

On Monday, the sands surrounding the Algerian town of Ain Sefra were covered in the white powder after the area’s temperature plummeted far below freezing, reports the Daily Mail.

While the town has seen brutal heat that’s reached up to 136.4 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperatures reached the frosty depths of below 28 degrees Fahrenheit in recent days due to a high-pressure system of cold air that has moved into the region.

The resulting snowfall resulted in “stunning patterns” being strewn across the sandy expanse, according to the report.

Brilliant photos of the event were captured by photographer Karim Bouchetata, who travelled to the North African locale, which has been dubbed the “Gateway to the Sahara” and is surrounded by the Atlas Mountains some 3,000 feet above sea level.

Prior snowfall is only known to have occurred four times in the past 42 years: in 1979, 2016, 2018 and 2021.