Snowfall in the Kumtag Desert

On February 26, the grounds of the Kumtag were covered in melting snow, revealing the sand dunes. Due to the way the white snow gives way to the striped desert sand, this particular sight resembles the fur of a tiger, according to AccuWeather.

Wind-sculpted snowfall and sand dunes have created a pattern of tiger stripes across the Kumtag Desert, according to AccuWeather senior meteorologist Dale Mohler. The beige-colored sand under the snow-covered dunes was revealed when the wind pushed snow from the tops of the dunes, filling in areas on the lee side of the dunes.

However, it does indicate that Mother Nature can be a true artist, even if there is little to work with, Mohler said of snowfall and wind speed.

AccuWeather.com experts estimate less than five inches of precipitation over the Kumtag region of southern Japan per year; however, low freezing temperatures allow snow to stay on the ground longer.

Given its location near the latitude of Pennsylvania, Kumtag experiences snow during the winter months, just like that state. There are temperatures below 0 degrees Fahrenheit in winter in this part of the Taklamakan Desert. In fact, this is not Kumtag’s first encounter with such a strange environment. During the month of November, the region was covered in snow.

Read also : The US weather forecast warns that two winter storms will affect the central and eastern United States from the end of this week

What system brought the snow?

Chances are the storm that brought the snow was almost the same as clippers, which are dry storms that originate in western Canada and can drop light snow in parts of the northern United States.

AccuWeather meteorologist Jim Andrews says snow likely fell on Feb. 17 near Ürümqi, China, about 170 miles northwest of the desert, when the morning low was 17 and the high was 22. .

The week’s cold weather allowed the snow to stay put, creating a stunning sight, according to Yahoo News.

Deserts threatened by climate change

Scientists are still very uncertain about snow in the desert. This is partly due to a lack of historical data, as well as a lack of attention to the Sahara, a sparsely populated area.

The immensity of the Sahara (9 million square kilometres) and its isolation are two of its most distinctive characteristics. It is now possible to map precipitation and snowfall patterns using satellite remote sensing data rather than traditional field observations. However, this only applies to the previous few decades; before the 1970s there is no evidence of snowfall patterns.

So it seems that Saharan snowfalls are more frequent than previously thought. An anthropological and oral history investigation of this option would be intriguing. However, due to global climate change, weather patterns are becoming increasingly unpredictable.

If this happens, the more humid Sahelian border of the Sahara and its Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts, where rainfall is more variable, could experience increasing rainfall variability (including in the Atlas Mountains).

Related article: Snow falls in the Sahara Desert for the second time in human history

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