It snowed in the Sahara desert for 30 minutes on the 18th February 1979.

It snowed in the Sahara desert for 30 minutes on the 18th February 1979.

Snow was last reportedly seen in Ain Sefra on February 18, 1979 during a 30-minute snow storm. Ain Sefra is situated where the Atlas Mountains meet the Sahara Desert, which gives the small town the nickname "The Gateway to the Desert" by locals.

1979 – for the first and only time in recorded history, it snowed in the Sahara Desert. It was in Southern Algeria and the storm only lasted a half hour. The snow melted off quickly.

The town of Ain Sefra, on the edge of the Sahara desert, was hit by icy weather last week - and even snow. Snowfall is very rare in the Sahara, despite the fact that it can be cold at night - because there's rarely enough water around for any kind of precipitation.

Significant Snowfall in the Sahara Desert

 The first was recorded in 1979, the second in December of 2016, and the third most recently on January 7, 2018. The Algerian twin of Ain Sefra is known as the “Gateway to the Desert”, located between the Atlas Mountains and the northern edge of the Sahara.

For example, absolute lows of 5 °F (−15 °C) have been recorded in the Tibesti Mountains. Late spring and early summer are hot; high temperatures of 122 °F (50 °C) are not unusual.