Saharan snow
Not even the Sahara Desert is
safe from winter’s icy tendrils.
On 7 January 2018, the dunes
near the northern Algerian town
of Aïn Séfra were blanketed with
snow, which lay up to 40cm
deep in some places.
“In the Sahara, temperatures at
night can drop to below freezing,
but the air is usually too dry for
precipitation,” says Amanda
Maycock, associate professor in
climate dynamics at the
University of Leeds. “In this
case, a cold front from a
weather system over the western
Mediterranean Sea extended
southwards over Algeria. This
region of cold, dry air met
another sector of warmer, moist
air, creating the perfect
conditions for snow.”
Wintry weather in the northern
Sahara is rare, but not unheard
of – this is the third time snow
has fallen in the region in nearly
40 years. Pictures on social
media showed locals sliding
down the snow-clad slopes on
their stomachs. But the fun was
short-lived: most of it had
melted away by the end of the
following day.
PHOTOGRAPHY: GEOFF ROBINSON