Snowfall in the Sahara Desert

World’s largest desert, The Sahara Desert, witnessed snowfall recently.

Highlights

• Snowfall in Sahara Desert was a rare event.
• Snow settled on the sand and ice covered the sand dunes, after temperatures dropped below freezing point.
• Temperatures as high as 58 degrees Celsius, have been recorded there.

Snowfall in Ain-Sefra

The town of Ain-Sefra is located in Naama province of north-western Algeria. It is known as “The Gateway to the Sahara”. It is surrounded by Atlas Mountains and is located at around 3,000 feet above sea level. Sand dunes in this area can be as high as 180 metres. It also witnesses water scarcity. Recently, temperatures reached to -2 degrees Celsius in the town, resulting into snowfall.

Previous instances of snowfall

This is not the first time it snowed in the Sahara Desert. In last 42 years, snowfall occurred for the fifth time. Earlier, the region witnessed snowfall 1979, 2016, 2018, and 2021.  Each year, the amount of snowfall was different. In 1979, there was a snowstorm. On the other hand, in 2018, it received 40 cm of snowfall.

What are the reasons of snowfall in Sahara Desert?

In the month of January, temperatures are much milder in Ain-Sefra region. Temperatures can be around 14 degrees Celsius. Climate crisis and Arctic warming could be responsible for this rare event.

The Sahara Desert

The Sahara Desert is located in African continent. It covers an area of 9,200,000 square kilometres. It is the largest hot desert of the world and third largest desert overall, after deserts of Antarctica and northern Arctic. It comprises much of North Africa, excluding fertile region on the Mediterranean Sea coast, Nile Valley and Atlas Mountains of the Maghreb.

History of Sahara Desert

For many years, the Sahara has alternated between Savanna grassland and desert, in a 20,000-year cycle. This is due to precession of Earth’s axis as it rotates across the Sun. Rotation across the Sun changes the location of North African monsoon.