Snowfall in Sahara Desert: The Hottest Desert Blanketed in Snow as Temperature Drop to -2°C

As temperatures dropped below freezing, snow has fallen in the Sahara Desert in northwestern Algeria. Snow fell for the seventh time in 42 years in the Saharan town of Ain Sefra in Algeria, as per international sources, as temperatures dipped to extremely low levels. 

According to the website LiveScience.com, Ain Sefra lies roughly 3,280 feet (1,000 meters) above sea level and is encircled by the Atlas Mountains near the Algerian-Moroccan border. 

Because the Sahara Desert is noted for its hot and dry environment, snowfall is a relatively rare occurrence. In July and August, temperatures in the town frequently hit 35 degrees Celsius. 

The temperature in the Algerian town has dropped to -2°C overnight, according to the UK's Daily Mail on Wednesday. 

After temperatures dropped below zero, snowfall etched beautiful patterns across the dunes of the Sahara Desert, according to local media. Photographer Karim Bouchetata shot amazing photographs of snow and ice in the town of Ain Sefra in northeastern Algeria. 

According to the Daily Mail, the sprinkling of snow is the fifth such event in the town's 42-year record, with prior occurrences in 1979, 2016, 2018, and 2021. 

The Sahara is the world's biggest hot desert, spanning more than 3.3 million square miles (8.6 million square kilometers) throughout northern Africa between the Atlantic and the Red Sea. 

Considering the 2018 snowfall, which was visible from space, the Sahara is much more likely to see snowfall at higher elevations, such as those in the Atlas Mountains, according to NASA, as per LiveScience.com. 

Snow and ice are uncommon in desert regions, yet they are not unknown. 

Temperatures in deserts can drop significantly overnight, although any snowfall is generally melted by the next day. Snow fell in the Sahara and Saudi Arabia in January 2022 and 2021, but this is not the first time these normally blazing hot places have been blanketed in white.