http://www.smh.com.au/environment/weather/freak-sahara-snow-shower-coats-deserts-giant-sandy-dunes-20180109-h0fybs.html
January 10 2018 - 9:40AM Freak Sahara snow shower coats desert's giant sandy dunes - Angela Fritz While the eastern US was hit by an exceptionally cold Arctic blast last weekend, another part of the world, much less familiar with winter, braced for similar weather on Sunday - the Sahara Desert. The freak snow shower coated the giant sandy dunes of the Sahara, known first and foremost for its deadly, suffocating heat. - [image: Sand dunes in the Sahara covered in snow.] Sand dunes in the Sahara covered in snow. Photo: Shutterstock The closest town, Ain Sefra in Algeria, hadn't had snow in nearly 40 years until it snowed last year. In 1979, a similar snow storm lasted about 30 minutes. The area has an average high temperature of 38 degrees in the summer. But, like many deserts, it gets chilly in the winter, especially at night. The average December high is only about 10 degrees, with average lows just above zero.
