Unusual snowfall in the Sahara desert leaves patterns in the dunes

Only fourth time in 42 years that the town of Ain Sefra has experienced snow

Photographs of the event were captured by Karim Bouchetata (via REUTERS)

Snow has fallen in the Sahara desert, with temperatures dropping to as low as -3C. 

This is only the fourth time that the town of Ain Sefra in Algeria has experienced snow in the past 42 years.

Pictures of the snowfall were taken by Karim Bouchetata, a photographer who captured the snow lightly dusted on top of the orange dunes as it created attractive and unusual patterns in the sand.

Ain Sefra is situated in the Atlas Mountains, 1,000 meters above sea level and is known as “the gateway to the desert.” It lies in the Naama province of Algeria in the northern part of the Sahara, near to the Moroccan border.

Although temperatures vary in the Sahara, snow and ice are still rare. The only other times there has been snow in Ain Sefra were 1979, 2017 and 2018.

The quantity of snow has varied greatly over the past 42 years, ranging from a snowstorm which stopped traffic in 1979, to 40cm falling in 2018.

Temperatures in the Sahara desert can reach up to 38C on average in the summer. Meanwhile January is one of the coldest months, with average temperatures of 14C.

Elsewhere, snow fell in Lebanon, Japan and particularly heavy rain has been forecast for parts of the UK.