The abrupt transition from one sandstorm to one snowstorm surprised, quite a bit, the residents of the Naâma provinceIn the north-west Algeriawhere in a few days the colors of the landscape have gone from orange to desert to the pure white ofwinter. The images, which went viral on socialtell of an almost surreal contrast: the same areas that only a short time ago were covered by piles of sand lift yourself up from ventonow appear whitened by an abundant snow cover. This exceptional weather reversal reflects the sudden change of masse d’aria which, at this time of year, can abruptly alternate in the areas between the Sahara and theAlgerian Atlas.
After the advection of a hot and dry air mass of Saharan originresponsible for sandstormthe sudden irruption of maritime polar air defined the other side of the “medal”, i.e snowstorm.
Phenomena of this type are not uncommon in the areas ofride” Between desert e plateauswhere the weather responds in an exalted way to the contrasts between the different circulations of masse d’aria. In particular, among the end of winter and thebeginning of the spring seasonil nord Africa often becomes “battlefield” among subtropical air masses hey cold fronts of polar origin.
The result? Natural spectacles that show all the power andunpredictability of the weather in the middle lands between dry Saharan heat and the cold humid Atlantican important signal of how much dynamic could be the tempo at the gates of desert.