Locals were stunned to see snow on the sand dunes in the Sahara Desert yesterday – after it snowed in a small Algerian town for the second time this year.
Following a 37-year spell of no snow which ended in December 2016, Ain Sefra in the country’s northwest, has seen snow no less than four times.
Children could be seen playing on the snow-covered sand dunes just outside the town, while others posed on the snow to document the rare event.
This aint snow desert! Snow covered the town of Ain Sefra in Algeria – the second time in just a few weeks
Becoming a tradition: Since December 2016, the small town in northwestern Algeria has seen snow no less than four times
Do you wanna build a snowman? A young resident is making the most of the rare snowfall while playing on the sand dunes
The town was seen covered with a coating of snow and many locals took to the nearby sand dunes to enjoy the unusual weather.
While Monday’s snowfall was unusual, the town was covered in the white stuff last month, the third time in nearly 40 years.
In 2016, the town known as ‘The Gateway to the Desert’ saw deep snow shortly after Christmas and it caused chaos, with passengers stranded on buses after the roads became slippery and icy.
Come January 2017, the town saw snowfall yet again, and children made snowmen and even sledged on the sand dunes.
Climb every mountain: The heavy snowfall makes the sand dunes look like snow-covered Alpine mountains
Covered up: Despite the snow last month and this week, it is normally six to 12 degrees Celsius in the town of Ain Sefra around this time of year
Strike a snow-se: A local teenager poses for the camera while the snow keeps falling around him and his friend
Snowday! A child takes a tumble in the snow, exposing the red sand hidden underneath it
Before that, snow was last seen in Ain Sefra on February 18, 1979, when the snow storm lasted just half an hour.
Ain Sefra is located around 3,280ft above sea level and surrounded by the Atlas Mountains.
Despite its altitude and recent storms, it is very rare to see snow in the town, and it is normally six to 12 degrees Celsius in the city around this time of year.
The Sahara Desert covers most of Northern Africa and it has gone through shifts in temperature and moisture over the past few hundred thousand years.
Although the Sahara is very dry today, it is expected to become green again in about 15,000 years.