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Image taken: 2nd March 2023 SNOW WAY! The surreal site of snow-draped cacti in Arizona???s Sonoran Desert was captured in breath-taking detail by Jack Dykinga last week. The scenes, which meteorologists have described as ???once in a generation??? demonstrate a rare convergence of nature???s extremes. The Sonoran desert is typically known for its arid sub-tropical climate. Even in winter, days are sunny and mild. But this month the area saw 2-4 inches of snow that lasted about 4 hours. Dykinga, who has been photographing the Sonorn Desert since 1976, says the last big snow was a full decade ago. He described this year???s otherworldly scenes as ???pure magic, seemingly out of place and strikingly beautiful.??? Before the snow arrived, the Desert looked completely different, boasting an explosion of flowers and clear blue skies. The reason for the uncharacteristic snowfall is not fully understood. The current La Ni??a event (a cyclic weather pattern that influences global weather) is partly responsible, coupled with a persistent blocking pattern over the Pacific Ocean and cold air migrating south from the Arctic. Climate change also means extreme weather events are becoming more likely.

Rare photograph of snow in the usually baking hot Sonoran desert

22 March 2023

This striking image shows the fleeting moment that the Sonoran desert in a parched corner of North America was blanketed in 10 centimetres of snow

Weather Photographer of the Year - collage for main image

Wintry scenes top Weather Photographer of the Year competition

14 December 2022

Christopher Ison's photo of Storm Eunice and Zhenhuan Zhou’s shot of Niagara Falls covered in ice have taken the top prizes in the Royal Meteorological Society’s annual competition

This week’s new questions

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27 March 2019

Cyclone Idai has devastated parts of Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Malawi with winds reaching 170 kilometres per hour

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28 November 2018

In 1958, when meteorologists were only just beginning to think about climate change, we ran a story on "a way in which man might drastically alter the weather"

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Christmas comes but once a year - and so might a good snowfall. With these weather predicting baubles you'll never miss out on the chance to make a snowman

Satellite shows clear-up operation after severe floods in China

2 August 2017

The photo shows teachers cleaning the mud from a school sports ground and running track in Jilin province, north-east China – an area devastated by floods