Stunning Sight in Sahara: Snow

Perhaps Mother Nature drank a bit too much eggnog on Monday because she delivered a blanket of snow on one of the hottest and driest spots on the planet. The town of Ain Sefra, Algeria, on the northern tip of the Sahara desert—where temperatures can reach 122 degrees—was blanketed by its first major snowfall in 37 years, reports CNN. Photos snapped by photographer Karim Bouchetata show sections of the town's red sand dunes, surrounded by the Atlas Mountains, almost entirely obscured by white powder.

Though snow has been spotted in the town a couple times in the last decade, the last major snowfall was during a blizzard in February 1979 that lasted no more than 30 minutes, reports Gizmodo. "Everyone was stunned to see snow falling in the desert; it is such a rare occurrence," Bouchetata tells the Telegraph. "It looked amazing as the snow settled on the sand and made a great set of photos." Ain Sefra doesn't appear to be in for a white Christmas, though: The snow melted within 24 hours, Bouchetata says. (Ice turned this lighthouse into a "sea monster.")