(CNN) — Bob Geldof and Midge Ure are better musicians than they are meteorologists.

Their 1984 Band Aid prediction that "there won't be snow in Africa this Christmastime" has once again been proven wrong -- and this time in spectacular fashion.

The Algerian town of Ain Sefra, deep in the dry, hot Sahara desert was hit by a freak snowfall on December 19. It's the first time snow has fallen in the region in 37 years.

Geoff Robinson Photography/REX/Shutterstock

These incredible pictures by amateur photographer Karim Bouchetata show the town's red dunes dramatically capped with white snow.

The last time flakes are reported to have fallen here was when a brief blizzard hit town in February 1979.

One of several towns to claim the moniker "Gateway to the Desert," Ain Sefra is 1,078 meters above sea level and is surrounded by the Atlas Mountains.

Geoff Robinson Photography/REX/Shutterstock

The Sahara is the world's largest hot desert and its more than 9 million square kilometers cover most of North Africa.

As well as being one of the driest places in the planet, it's one of the hottest -- temperatures here can reach more than 50 C (122 F).

Oh, and for the record, Bob and Midge, other places to catch some snow in Africa include the Algerian ski resorts of Chrea and Tikjda and the world-famous slopes of Kilimanjaro.</s>Snow Falls On Sahara Desert For First Time In 37 Years

For the first time in 37 years and the second time in living memory, snow has fallen in the Sahara desert, which has been known for its brutal heat.

Amateur photographer Karimm Bouchetata took pictures of the snow in the small Saharan desert town of Ain Sefra, Algeria on December 19, according to a report by the Telegraph.

“Everyone was stunned to see snow falling in the desert, it is such a rare occurrence,” Bouchetata told the Independent. “It looked amazing as the snow settled on the sand.”

The last time the Saharan town saw snow was in 1979, when a half-hour snow storm reportedly stopped traffic.

Founded in 1881 as a garrison town for the French, Ain Sefra is located in northwest Algeria and is known as “The Gateway to the Desert” with a population of nearly 35,000.

With an altitude of more than 1,078 meters, the town has a blistering hot summer climate, while in winter it can be very chilly.

The temperature in the area was roughly 10 to 15 degrees colder than normal when the snow occurred, according to the Washington Post.</s>Snow has fallen in the Sahara desert for only the second time in living memory.

Amateur photographer Karim Bouchetata took these pictures of snow covering the sands in the small Saharan desert town of Ain Sefra, Algeria, on Monday afternoon.

It marks the first time snow has fallen on the famous dunes which make up the world’s largest hot desert for 37 years.

Snow was last seen in Ain Sefra, known as “The Gateway to the Desert,” on February 18, 1979, when the snow storm lasted just half an hour.

This time the snow stayed for a day in the town, which is around 1000 metres above sea level and surrounded by the Atlas Mountains.

The Sahara desert can reach temperatures of up to 122 degrees Farenheit (50 degrees Celsius.)</s>Sahara sees snow for first time in 37 years

For the first time in 37 years and the second time in living memory, snow has fallen in the Sahara desert, which has been known for its brutal and suffocating heat. The post Sahara sees snow for first time in 37 years appeared first on Vanguard News. Read Full Story</s>Snow falls in Sahara for first time in 37 years

Snow falls in Sahara for first time in 37 years

(CNN) — Bob Geldof and Midge Ure are better musicians than they are meteorologists.

Their 1984 Band Aid prediction that “there won’t be snow in Africa this Christmastime” has once again been proven wrong — and this time in spectacular fashion.

The Algerian town of Ain Sefra, deep in the dry, hot Sahara desert was hit by a freak snowfall on December 19. It’s the first time snow has fallen in the region in 37 years.

These incredible pictures by amateur photographer Karim Bouchetata show the town’s red dunes dramatically capped with white snow.

The last time flakes are reported to have fallen here was when a brief blizzard hit town in February 1979.

One of several towns to claim the moniker “Gateway to the Desert,” Ain Sefra is 1,078 meters above sea level and is surrounded by the Atlas Mountains.

The Sahara is the world’s largest hot desert and its more than 9 million square kilometers cover most of North Africa.

As well as being one of the driest places in the planet, it’s one of the hottest — temperatures here can reach more than 50 C (122 F).

Oh, and for the record, Bob and Midge, other places to catch some snow in Africa include the Algerian ski resorts of Chrea and Tikjda and the world-famous slopes of Kilimanjaro.

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 Note: By commenting below you agree to abide by the KOBI5.com commenting guidelines. View the KOBI5.com Comment Board Guidelines »</s>Sahara Desert has turned white as snowflakes have fallen there on Monday afternoon.

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The incredible images taken by amateur photographer Karim Bouchetata show that a hot and dry Algerian town deep in Sahara Desert is all covered in snow. It is first time when snow hit the region in 37 years. The last time snow was reportedly seen in Sahara in February 1979.

In the images, a thin layer of snow can be seen resting atop the orange sand of Sahara, which is the largest hot desert in the world. The desert expands more than 9 million square kilometers over North Africa and its temperature can reach up to 50 degrees Celsius. Witnessing snowfall in a desert is indeed an incredible view.

“Everyone was stunned to see snow falling in the desert, it is such a rare occurrence.” Photographer Karim Bouchetata told The Independent.

“It looked amazing as the snow settled on the sand and made a great set of photos.”

However, the snow lasted for just one day and melted away due to warm Sahara temperature.

The town Ain Sefra is often referred as “The Gateway to the Desert.” This town also experienced snowfall in 1979.</s>For the first time in almost 40 years, the world’s hottest desert has seen snowfall.

The Sahara spans 3,600,000 square feet over many North African countries, and is often the last place people would expect to see a snow flurry. This rare occasion left the photographer who captured the images shocked. Karim Bouchetata captured the images December 19, in the small desert town of Ain Sefra, Algeria.

Bouchetata explained, “Everyone was stunned to see snow falling in the desert; it is such a rare occurrence. It looked amazing as the snow settled on the sand and made a great set of photos. The snow stayed for about a day and has now melted away.”

Many believe this only to be the second time snow has fallen in the area. Reportedly, snow fell February, 1970 in Ain Sefra, which is known as “The Gateway to the Desert.” The snow lasted about half an hour before melting away.

Temperatures in the desert have been well-known to surpass 117 degrees Farenheit.</s>Writer and sassy ginger currently residing in central Pennsylvania. Matt spends most of his free time online shopping for clothing that he doesn't need, perfecting the art of eye-rolling, and indulging in all forms of pop culture.

It's officially winter, and one incredible event in the Sahara Desert is ringing in the new season in a way that hasn't been done in almost 40 years.

While snow can be both a blessing and a curse, some parts of the world go years without seeing any semblance of a winter wonderland. With average temperatures in the high 80s, the last place you would expect to see snow would be in the heart of the Sahara Desert. But if 2016 has taught me anything, it's that you should never say never.



The Sahara Desert is often considered the driest and warmest region in the world with an average temperature of 86°F.

Read More: In The Middle Of A Desert, You'll Find Something From A Bizarre Dreamworld

It's the last place you'd expect to hear any mention of snow.

But since anything is possible, the people of Ain Sefra awoke to find the desert dusted with the fluffy white stuff.

The last time the Sahara had seen any amount of snowfall was in February of 1979.

The phenomenon stunned photographer Karim Bouchetata as he captured it on camera.

The swirls of orange and white are wowing viewers of his work all over the world.

But with temperatures once again on the rise, the snow probably won't make it through the day, let alone through the week.

While it was an unexpected surprise, it looks like the Sahara Desert will have to go yet another year without a white Christmas.

Read More: Rescuers Rushed To The Desert When They Received A Heartbreaking Call

SHARE this story with your friends as a reminder that anything is possible.</s>Snow falls in the hottest region on Earth for the second time in living memory. Although the Sahara Desert has been recorded to be more moist than it currently is, this is still the first time in the last three decades that snow has been seen falling in the region.

A report from the Express UK showed that the last time snow was seen falling on the Sahara happened in February of 1979 and the snow storm lasted for just half an hour. This year, the snow has created a good looking contrast to the red-hot sand dunes of the Sahara which created a social media frenzy. A day later, the snow did not survive the heat and quickly melted away.

Mirror UK has reported that not all regions of the Sahara experienced snow fall. The largest area that experienced the 30-minute snowfall was only Ain Sefra, or also known as the Gateway to the Desert. This is also where the snowfall of 1979 has been recorded.

For the past thousand years, the Sahara desert has played an important role in climate change. It has been reported that the transfer of sand from the Sahara desert to different parts of the world create significant temperature changes to oceans.

There are a number of summits in the Sahara the receive snow on a regular basis. A report from Live Science noted that snowfall in deserts is extremely rare, nonetheless. Scientists don't know when the next snowfall would be and are still finding explanations as to how snow fell in the Sahara Desert.

According to reports, it used to be much wetter and contained more vegetation before it turned into the world's largest hot desert. Will this snowfall be one of the indications that the Sahara may go back to its old climate and humans must be more prepared to combat climate change?</s>Sahara sees snow for first time in 37 years

For the first time in 37 years and the second time in living memory, snow has fallen in the Sahara desert, which has been known for its brutal and suffocating heat.

According to a media report, amateur photographer Karimm Bouchetata took pictures of the snow in the small Saharan desert town of Ain Sefra, Algeria on Dec. 19.

“Everyone was stunned to see snow falling in the desert; it is such a rare occurrence.

“It looked amazing as the snow settled on the sand,’’ Bouchetata told newsmen.

The last time the Saharan town saw snow was in 1979, when a half-hour snow storm reportedly stopped traffic.

Founded in 1881 as a garrison town for the French, Ain Sefra is located in northwest Algeria and is known as “The Gateway to the Desert” with a population of nearly 35,000.

With an altitude of over 1,078 meters, the town has a blistering hot summer climate, while in winter it could be very chilly.

According to a media report, the temperature in the area was roughly 10 to 15 degrees colder than normal when the snow occurred.

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Snow falls in the Sahara desert for the first time in 37 years.