In parts of the Sahara Desert, snow fell in rare instances. It has happened only a few times over 40 years. MSN.
After temperatures plummeted below zero in Ain Sefra, Algeria, snow and ice were found on the sand dunes of the Atlas Mountains, known as the “gateway to the desert,” MSN reported.
It is located in the Naama province in Algeria, in the northern Sahara, near the Moroccan border. The elevation is 1,000 m above sea level.
MSN reported that snow and ice still occur despite temperatures fluctuating in Sahara. According to MSN., there were no other snow incidents in Ain Sefra between 1979, 2017 and 2021.
According to the newspaper, snow in the area was welcome after the scorching heat. BBC.
BBC reported that revelers took photos of their snow play and were happy with the unusual situation.
After previous snowfalls in the area, Roman Vilfand, head of Russia’s Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring, told the Russian state-controlled news agency TASS that the climate change could play a role in odd weather in the Sahara, The Independent reported.
“Such situations, including snowfalls in Sahara, a long cold spell in North America, very warm weather in the European part of Russia and sustained rains which sparked flooding in Western European countries, have been occurring more frequently,”He stated. “The high recurrence of these extreme [weather] conditions stems from global warming. It is not just my standpoint, but an opinion shared by members of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.”