SNOW in the SAHARA: World’s hottest desert covered in metre thick BLANKET of white THE red sand of the Sahara has turned white after snow fell on the desert for the second time in a matter of weeks. The cold snap gripping most of Europe has spread south to the 9.4million square kilometre African desert. A blanket of freezing snow has settled on the dunes up to a metre thick in some places. Astonishing photos that emerged today from the town of Ain Safra, known as the ‘gateway to the desert’, show scenes reminiscent of a mountain range. It comes just weeks after snow hit the Sahara for the first time in 37 years. The town received a light dusting before Christmas, but now waist-deep snow has been reported in some areas. Children have been tobogganing in the thick snow and enjoying other wintery activities such as building snowman following the rare snowfall.