Locals Enjoy Algeria’s Rare Snow-Covered Dunes in the Sahara!

It is the third time snow has been recorded there in nearly 40 years, with a dusting also recorded in December 2016.

Locals made the most of this opportunity, of playing in snow in middle of a desert.

(Photo Courtesy: Hamouda Ben Jerad DZ photography)

On the usually scorching sand dunes of the Sahara desert, a rare blanket of snow allowed Algerians the chance to try out some icy sliding. The snow blanket was thicker than 15 inches.

With temperatures touching 1 degree Celsius (33.8 Fahrenheit), residents in the northern Algerian town of Ain Sefra enjoyed sliding down the snow-covered dunes on Sunday morning before it melted away.

Ain Sefra is known as the gateway to the Sahara desert, where temperatures regularly reach 35 degrees Celsius in July and August.

It is the third time snow has been recorded in nearly 40 years, with a dusting also recorded in December 2016. But this snowfall is much deeper than the fleeting shower little more than a year ago.

Freezing conditions, however, are not uncommon in the area which lies between the desert and the Atlas mountains.

(With inputs from AP, Reuters)

Video Producer: Anmol Saini
Video Editor: Ashutosh Bhardwaj