Photos: Rare blanket of snow in Sahara desert

Snow fell Sunday in the region of Aïn Séfra, in the northwest of the country, according to news reports from Algeria.

On the usually sun-kissed sand dunes of the Sahara desert, a rare blanket of snow allowed Algerians the chance to try out some icy sliding.

A man looks at at a snow-covered slope in the Sahara, Ain Sefra, Algeria. (Reuters photo)

With temperatures touching 1 degree Celsius (33.8 Fahrenheit), residents in the northern Algerian town of Ain Sefra enjoyed sliding down the small sections of dunes on Sunday morning before the snow melted away.

Ain Sefra is known as the gateway to the Sahara desert, where temperatures regularly reach 35 degrees Celsius in July and August.

A view of snow in the Sahara, Ain Sefra, Algeria. (Reuters photo)

Freezing conditions, however, are not uncommon in the area which lies between the desert and the Atlas mountains. Snow also fell in the region in December, 2016 for the first time in many years. Before that, it had been 37 years since the last snowfall.

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