The Sahara Desert experienced its first snowfall in thirty-seven years, according to images taken Monday afternoon.
It is the first time since February 1979 that snow has fallen in Ain Sefra, Algeria, a town in the Sahara Desert, the Daily Mail reports.
The last time it snowed in the area, the snow lasted for about an hour. This time, the snow remained for a day.
Karim Bouchetata, an amateur photographer, captured the images of the snowfall on the red sand dunes.
“Everyone was stunned to see snow falling in the dessert [sic], it is such a rare occurrence,” Bouchetata said. “It looked amazing as the snow settled on the sand and made a great set of photos,” he added.
The Telegraph reports that snow on sand dunes is rare, but is a more common occurrence on Saharan mountain ranges.
The Sahara Desert spans across most of Northern Africa and has shifted in temperature throughout the past hundred-thousand years.
Experts say the desert will become green again in about 15,000 years.
