Snow paints red sand dunes of Sahara desert a wondrous white

Majestic red sand dunes of the Sahara desert in a small North African town recently witnessed snowfall - much to the amazement of locals, environmentalists and people around the world at large.

The town of Ain Sefra in Algeria received snowfall last Sunday with a white cover settling on the sand. It is reported that while the town itself received about two inches of snow, the surrounding sand dunes on the outskirts were completely covered - making for a delightfully contrasting landscape of red and white.

Surrounded by Atlas Mountains and located 1000 metres above sea level, this however is not the first tryst with snow for Ain Sefra. The town received snowfall in December of 2016 as well. But even that was not the first time. In February of 1979, Ain Sefra experienced 30 minutes of snowfall in a solitary day.

The average temperature in the town hovers around 37-degree Celsius while the mercury dips to around 10 in January.

According to meteorological experts, the most recent snowfall was a result of high pressure in Europe pulling in cold air southwards into north Africa. And while Ain Sefra is at a considerable height, snowfall here is extremely rare. This time, the high pressure may have extended cold conditions further south than what is considered normal.