5. Snow in the Sahara

Morsel:

It snowed in the Sahara desert on February 18th, 1979.

Meal:

The Sahara (from the Arabic word for 'desert') is the largest hot desert in the world, its size being larger than the size of the contiguous United States. Its annual mean temperature across much of the desert exceeds 29C and it can reach highs of 39C during summer months. Combined with extremely low precipitation rates, makes the Sahara one of the driest and most arid places on Earth. For an average resident of the Sahara, witnessing snowfall in the region could be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

That being said, on the high summits of the Sahara, snow is not an utterly unusual phenomenon. For example, in the Ahaggar mountains, a mountainous region in the south of Algeria, snow falls roughly every third year. In the Tibesti mountains, in the extreme north of Chad, it is rarer: roughly every seventh winter. Incidentally, the highest mountain in the Sahara resides in the Tibesti mountain range: Emi Koussi, a tall, dormant shield volcano.

Of course, climbing such peaks are not typical ventures, but snow has occurred in populated areas, often to the amazement of the inhabitants. In February 1906, snow was reported to have fallen for twelve days over an area the size of New York state in the Algerian Sahara. In the oasis town of El Goléa, the people said they had never experienced snowfall before and they seemed to be glad when it melted away. In the early months of 1935, snow fell several times; in one region, Lagjhouat, the snowfall apparently reached a depth of around 60cm. On February 18^th, 1979, Algeria was hit once again; in Ghardaïa the snowfall was so heavy that it temporarily stopped traffic.

Snow has also fallen on the Sahara in recent memory. On December 19^th, 2016, the snow settled on the red dunes in the desert town of Ain Serfra, Algeria, producing wonderful imagery such as below.

By © Karim Bouchetata/Geoff Robinson Photography

So, it seems that if you want to have the chance of personally witnessing snowfall icing the Sahara, visit Algeria in the early months of the year, preferably to the towns that serve as Gateways to the Desert.

Recipe:

OED Online. 2017. “Sahara, N.” Oxford University Press. Retrieved September 17, 2017.

Cook, Kerry H. and Edward K. Vizy. 2015. “Detection and Analysis of an Amplified Warming of the Sahara Desert.” American Meterological Society J. Climate(28):6560–6580.

Messerli, B. 1973. “Problems of Vertical and Horizontal Arrangement in the High Mountains of the Extreme Arid Zone (Central Sahara).” Arctic and Alpine Research 5(3):A139–47.

Anon. 1906. “Snow in the Sahara.” Boston Evening Transcript, September 25.

Anon. 1935. “SNOW IN SAHARA DESERT.” Western Argus, February 5, Page 19.

Anon. 1935. “HEAVY SNOW IN THE SAHARA.” Derry Journal, February 13.

Anon. 1979. “Snow Falls in the Sahara.” The Spokesman-Review, February 19.

Molloy, Mark. 2016. “Stunning Photos Capture Rare Snow in the Sahara Desert.” The Telegraph, December 21.