Rare Snowfall in the Sahara Creates a Desert Winter Wonderland

Jessica Plautz
Updated

Aïn Séfra, in Algeria, is the “Gateway to the Sahara”—but this week it also looks like a surreal gateway to winter.

The town experienced a brief snowfall on December 19, and photographer Karim Bouchetata captured it in these gorgeous photographs.

The last time there was significant snow in Aïn Séfra was February 1979, CNN reported, when a half-hour blizzard swept through. However, an occasional dusting of snow comes to the town approximately every 10 years, according to Gizmodo.

Related: 22 Amazing Winter Pictures

First Snow In Sahara Desert In 37 Years
First Snow In Sahara Desert In 37 Years
First Snow In Sahara Desert In 37 Years
First Snow In Sahara Desert In 37 Years

High temperatures in the dry desert town average 75 degrees Fahrenheit annually, and 55 degrees in December, and summer temperatures reach as high as 109 degrees. Precipitation here averages less than seven inches annually.

First Snow In Sahara Desert In 37 Years
First Snow In Sahara Desert In 37 Years
First Snow In Sahara Desert In 37 Years
First Snow In Sahara Desert In 37 Years
First Snow In Sahara Desert In 37 Years
First Snow In Sahara Desert In 37 Years

The Sahara offers some of the most stunning visuals on the planet—even when you're off of it.