Snow in Sahara: Rare Event in Ain Sefra

0:00On March 11th, snow has blanketed parts of the Sahara Desert in Algeria, turning the orange dunes of iron sephora white for a brief moment. Temperatures plunge below freezing there, creating ideal conditions for the rare snowfall. This marks the seventh time snow has fallen in the area over the past 40 years. The most recent was just last January, and before 2016, the previous one dated back to 1979. Lately, these events have picked up pace, happening more often in the last decade. Residents turned out to enjoy the novelty, playing in the like-covering despite its fleeting nature. Ain't sephora sits right on the northern fringe of the Sahara, hugging the atlas mountains, which helps set the stage for such unusual weather. While the excitement is high, the snow amounts to just the thin layer that's already starting to melt away in the rising warmth.