Snow in one of the hottest places on Earth? White is the new colour of the Sahara!

The Sahara, which was once covered with lush vegetation, is now the largest hot desert in the world. Interestingly, the golden sands of the desert are sometimes covered with white powder. No, don't rub your eyes. It's true! Snow in the Sahara is no longer unusual. 

The largest desert in the world, the Sahara is located in North Africa and lies within 11 countries. It stretches from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Red Sea in the east. It is bounded to the north by the Atlas Mountains and the Mediterranean coast. Its total area is approximately 9 million km². Most visitors to the Sahara agree on the beauty of the place.

The Sahara delights even more when the golden sands are covered in... white powder. Although snow in the Sahara is still a rarity, the intensity has been greater in recent times. Snowfall was recorded there in 2016, 2018, 2021 and 2022. Interestingly, the phenomenon has occurred as many as four times in the last decade. The previous snowfall was recorded in 1979, 45 years ago. 

It may come as a surprise to learn that the reason for the appearance of snow in areas of the Sahara may be - research is still ongoing, but it is quite likely - global warming. Global warming causes weather anomalies that also affect the warmest regions of the world. While these anomalies, i.e. unusual or unexpected atmospheric phenomena that deviate from the standard, established weather pattern for a particular area, may be pleasing to the eye, they are quite a challenge for the people living there. 

It is worth mentioning that the Sahara is not the only desert to see snow. The driest desert in the world has also recently found itself under snow. We are talking about the Atacama Desert, which is located in Chile. Admittedly, snowfall has occurred in this area before, but never in August. August is a month when precipitation is very rare there. However, in 2021, the month turned out to be abundant in precipitation, so the area was exceptionally white. The snow layer was 15 cm.

It turns out that anomalies can be as dangerous as they are beautiful. However, this beauty is unfortunately only superficial, as it hides a threat to our planet. Climate change also means extreme weather phenomena such as tornadoes, torrential downpours, high tides and floods. Therefore, once we have feasted our eyes on beautiful and unusual sights, it is worth considering why this is happening.