Africa’s Sahara Desert isn’t the place you’d expect to see snow.

Yet a rare winter storm powdered the arid sand dunes of northwestern Algeria with white snow on Sunday, the third time an event like this has happened in 40 years.

What’s even odder is snow also fell on the Sahara last year. Before that, the town of Ain Sefra saw snow all the way back in 1979, albeit for only half an hour.

The region typically experiences blisteringly hot weather in summer, exceeding temperatures of 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius). However, it cools right down in winter, hitting an average low of 31.5 degrees Fahrenheit (-0.5 degrees Celsius).

While the Sahara is a long way away from the freezing temperatures the eastern U.S. is experiencing right now, the desert is receiving the same cold air. 

That cold air crossed the Atlantic, creating heavy snowfall in Morocco, then on sprinkled a little on the Sahara.

“We were really surprised when we woke up to see snow again. It stayed all day on Sunday and began melting at around 5 p.m.,” photographer Karim Bouchetata said. 

Of course, the photos are really something else.