Sledging… in the Sahara! African desert region is hit by its biggest snowfall in living memory with snow up to a METRE deep 

• The town of Ain Sefra in western Algeria has recorded the first snowfall in the town since February 18, 1979
• For the first time in their lives Children are building snowmen in town known as ‘Gateway to the Sahara Desert’
• Cold weather has delivered snow and freezing temperatures to Costa del Sol, Majorca and now North Africa  

By Geoff Robinson Photography and Chris Summers For Mailonline

The Sahara Desert has recorded the biggest snowfall in living memory after a freak winter storm in Algeria.

Incredible pictures show the desert town of Ain Sefra surrounded by snow which is at least a metre deep. 

The town saw a sprinkling of snow just before Christmas when a few flakes settled on the red sand dunes of the world’s hottest desert for the first time in 37 years. 

The town is surrounded by the Atlas Mountains but the area around Ain Sefra never gets snow. Read more.