Sahara desert is one of the hottest places on the Earth. It is the center of attraction for a large number of visitors due to its unique environment. One can easily find the great combination of the sun over the red-brownish sand with a beautiful nature’s view. Snowfall Occurred in the Sahara Desert
But have you ever wondered about its suddenly changing environment? You may have remained unaware of the fact that this desert has once been covered with snowflakes. However, if this happens each year or at a specific time, or just on rare occasions, is debatable.
The rare incident of Snowfall Occurred in the Sahara Desert.
Being the largest hottest desert in the world, the Sahara desert lies in the northern part of America. It has once experienced heavy snowfall, dropping the temperature to less than -2℃. Recorded by Karim Bouchetata, a local photographer, the ice snowy photographs of the amazing snowfall went viral years before in Ain Sefra, Algeria.
This place is also famous as “Gateway to the Sahara desert. It is surrounded by the Atlas mountains nearly 1,000 m above the mean sea level. Even though this beautiful scene was captured only once, it is not that the incident has happened just one time.
If it snowed before?
In the past 42 years, the Sahara desert has been covered with snow for the fourth time. Having an area of 3,600,000 square miles (approximately the same size as that of the US), this dessert took on a rare event that happened many times to it. The events of snowing in the hottest desert include:
- In 1979, it was for the very first time, when this area got whole covered with the icy flakes. Because this was so shocking, a local photojournalist captured the movement in his camera. The netted images were then made available on social media.
- The next snowfall was observed in 2016 in the month of stormy December 19 that took everyone by surprise once more.
- Another snowy drop happened in January 2018, that hit the ground of headlines about the desert for the third time. The Sahara desert was noticed to have got covered with 16 inches of ice flakes this year. Subsequently this event was wind-taped by Landsat 7 satellite.
As per the Forbes statement, people of this area had the habit to go through much hotter climatic conditions. But as it started getting snowy all over their houses, cars, roads, and offices, it became an issue to be resolved for other people living there. Henceforth, the vehicles were settled on roadsides to avoid clustering over standing wheelers. The houses were all got their cold-equipped extra coatings withdrawn.
What is the reason behind such snow falling?
Deserts have got their name because of having extremely dried conditions instead of the hotter climate. Sahara has similarly got its name. But the reason behind the snow fallin there was considered rare as per the following process:
- During the nighttime, the dry air of the desert mislays its temperature much rapidly than moist air. As a result, the winds start moving in a circular route around high pressure in the Northern belt.
- This movement pulls down the cold air from the Arctic region. Even though the practice is unusual, it is not impossible. Many such rare events are being perceived across different scenes on Earth.
- High pressure in Europe proceeds the arctic air to Southern Europe which parcels it in the Sahara desert.
- The consequential cold air gets elevated to Ain Sefra which results in snowfall.
According to some of the residents, the changing of the environment to such a rare extent was due to global warming. This shifting of normal to modified global meteorological conditions could have been occurred dur to mankind’s activities. Snowfall Occurred in the Sahara Desert
