Snow falls on Sahara desert for first time in 40 years

AIN SEFRA, Algeria, Dec. 21 (UPI) -- A layer of snow fell onto the red sand dunes in Northern Africa's Sahara desert for the first time in nearly 40 years.

Amateur photographer Karim Bouchetata captured photos of the rare occurrence in the town of Ain Sefra, Algeria.

"Everyone was stunned to see snow falling in the desert, it is such a rare occurrence," he said. "It looked amazing as the snow settled on the sand and made a great set of photos."

Bouchetata photographed the scene on Monday, but the snowfall did not stick around for long.

"The snow stayed for about a day and has now melted away," he said.

Ain Sefra's last snowfall occurred on Feb. 18, 1979 -- a brief storm that stopped traffic.