Freakish Weather Plunges Sahara Desert Town In 15 Inches Of Snow For The Third Time In 40 Years

Global warming is definitely taking its toll on the world with the prevalence of the freakishly cold weather in the US. But where a place in the northern hemisphere is prone to such possibilities, can you even contemplate something like that in one of the hottest places on earth??  It has actually snowed in the Sahara desert and this isn’t the first time it has happened.

This is the third time in forty years and twice in the last two years that the Algerian desert town of Ain Sefra has received snow and it isn’t just a few snowflakes. It is a substantial amount of snow making the entire location quite spectacular as scenery goes.

Image source: www.thesun.co.uk

1Where is Ain Sefra

Ain Sefra is a desert town in Algeria called the Gateway to the Sahara. Located at an elevation of 3500 feet, it was founded very recently in 1881 and served as a garrison for French troops. The town is situated in the Algerian province of Naama and is home to approximately 32000 people.

Image source: www.washingtonpost.com

2It snowed in 1979

While it is not unusual for the desert to get extremely cold at night, one can hardly expect snow to fall in the area. However, Ain Sefra has been experiencing freakish weather since 1979 when it snowed for the first time creating headlines around the world

Image source: uk.pressfrom.com

3Heavy snowfall in December 2016

While a generation remembered the curious conditions of 1979, the present generation was surprised even further with almost 1 meter of snow in December 2016 that blocked roads and highways. Children, of course, were happily making snowmen and sledding for the first time in their lives.

Image source: abcnews.com

4Snow on Sunday, January 7^th, 2018

Residents of Ain Sefra were greeted again with a white blanket of snow almost 15 inches thick on Sunday 7th January 2018. In some places, it was 40 cm deep. Children once again raced and sledded down slopes of sand dunes covered in snow making the geographical nature of the terrain ideal for snow activity

Image source: observator.tv