The Sahara Desert Blanketed in Snow for the Fifth Time

 

By Sai Prasanna Thapa
Chemistry Department

For the fifth time in 40 years, the largest hot desert in the world, the Sahara, was blanketed in snow in January 2022. It is located in the northern region of the African continent, where the highest temperature has been recorded at up to 58 degrees Celsius.


Despite their location in the hottest desert, the sand dunes of An Séfra (also known as the Gateway to the Desert) in Algeria have received snowfall in recent years. It is located at an elevation of 1000 metres above sea level and is surrounded by the Atlas Mountains near the Algerian-Moroccan border. According to news sources, the temperature dropped to -2 degrees Celsius the night before the snow fell. This year, snowfall occurred in the Sahara and Saudi Arabia.




A U.K. weather official told The Independent that the snow in the Sahara was unusual but not unheard of. The Daily Mail asserted that the rare phenomenon was due to high-pressure systems of cold air that had moved overland to the deserts, causing lower temperatures. These anticyclones reach Saudi Arabia by moving clockwise from Central Asia. These carry moisture as they travel, thereby causing snowfall in the Sahara.


Although the snow melted the next morning, it left spellbinding patterns on the sand dunes. 

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