From the desert city of Las Vegas to typically sun-blessed islands in the Mediterranean, snow sometimes falls in the most unexpected places around the world. We've selected some stunning images where the unlikely weather lends a magical edge to the landscape.

Imagine the Sahara Desert and you'll probably picture fiery orange and gold dunes rippling as far as the eye can see. But, in 2018, the famous desert looked rather different, as the Sahara town of Aïn Séfra, Algeria and its surroundings experienced rare snowfall. Unusual moisture levels in the air and plummeting nighttime temperatures were the perfect recipe for this extraordinary weather event, one of the first of its kind in four decades.

Swaying palms and big waves are what most people associate a holiday on Hawaii with, but serious snow bunnies know the state has powder too. The summits of its three tallest volcanoes (Mauna Loa, Mauna Kea and Haleakalā) are dusted in snow each year. Mauna Kea (Hawaiian for 'white mountain') on Big Island is a covetable location for wilderness skiing with no lifts or marked trails. At 13,800 feet (4,200m) high, temperatures can get as low as -4ºC (24.8ºF). Unusually, snow swept into Maui island in February 2019 covering Polipoli Spring State Recreation Area, one of the lowest elevation snowfalls ever recorded in the Aloha State. 

Wintry weather brings a little extra magic to the spectacle of the Grand Canyon. It’s not uncommon for snow and ice to cloak the colourful geological wonder during the winter months. Snow is most likely to fall in the South Rim, which is 7,000 feet (2,135m) above sea level and where temperatures can fall to as low as -7ºC (19.4ºF). It can cause treacherous trekking conditions and roads to be cut off.

Skiing and the Middle East may sound like a non sequitur but northern Lebanon is an unexpected ski haven. Its stunning mountains are home to six ski resorts. In fact, Mzaar Kfardebian is the biggest resort in the entire region with 50 miles (80km) of tracks and 25 chair lifts. Winter transforms the country's lushly forested valleys and peaks into stunning snowscapes. Pictured here is the Kadisha Valley, UNESCO-listed for its early Christian monastic settlements and the Cedars of God forest, after a heavy snow storm. 

When you think of Africa you probably envisage deserts or tropical beaches, but the continent's climate is much more diverse than most holiday snaps would suggest. Morocco is Africa’s premier ski destination with the virgin powder and remote peaks of its High Atlas Mountains luring snow bunnies for decades. Its two ski resorts are Oukaimeden and Mischliffe. The former sits at 8,530 feet (2,600m) and is the highest in the continent. It’s unusual but not altogether unknown for blizzards to blanket low-lying parts of the country too as cold waves come in from the east during December to March. 

The little landlocked nation of Lesotho is the coldest and snowiest country in Africa. June can see temperatures plummet below 0°C (32°F) and heavy snowfall is common. Lesotho is a mountainous country with over 80% of it sitting at above 5,906 feet (1,800m). It’s possible to ski here too – head to the European-style Afriski Mountain Resort in the north's Maloti Mountains from June to late-August to take to the slopes.

It’s a little-known fact that you can also ski in South Africa during winter (June to August). One of its snowiest spots is the Eastern Cape highlands, which is where you’ll find the Tiffindell Ski Resort, close to the Lesotho border. It also snows in the Northern and Western Capes: Sutherland in the Northern Cape often gets the earliest snow while Matroosberg is the most likely place for snow in the Western Cape. In 2018 late-season snowfall was recorded across all three capes, as well as in the state of Kwazulu-Natal, with some areas receiving more than 10 inches (25cm) of snow in just three days.
 

A vicious snowstorm in the early months of 2018 – nicknamed the Beast from the East – sent temperatures plunging and brought snow and icy conditions across Europe. Locals in the southern Italian city of Naples, who are used to mild wet winters and scorching summers, shivered along with the rest of the continent, as the blast of Siberian weather brought the biggest snowfall in half a century. The unusually heavy snow covered the city's streets and beaches and also cloaked nearby Mount Vesuvius and the ruins of Pompeii.

The 2018 snow also disrupted transport, shut down schools and saw the army called in to help clear the streets of Rome. Rather than the usual scenes of tourists sweltering in queues to enter the city's historic sites, the crowds of sightseers shivered by the snow-dusted Colosseum and Roman Forum as Italy's capital city experienced its first snowfall in six years. Up to 1.5 inches (4cm) carpeted the ground.

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It snows every year in the beautiful Balearic isle, but usually only in its mountainous areas. The peaks of the Sierra de Tramuntana mountain range are snow-capped through most of the winter, along with some mountain villages such as Valldemossa. But you’re less likely to see snowfall across its usually sun-scorched plains and along its coastline. However, winter storms can blow into more temperate parts of the island including the capital Palma (pictured), which has been known to have icy streets and a good dousing of snow on its palm trees, superyachts, cathedral and beaches.

Heavy snow can often carpet parts of Catalonia in northern Spain but it’s much rarer for Barcelona, the region's coastal capital, to see any of the white stuff settle. However, in early 2020 Storm Gloria brought the city to a shiver with freezing temperatures, strong winds and snow. Beachy Barcelona was also affected by the Siberian cold front that swept across much of southern Europe in January 2018 while 2010 saw Barcelona's heaviest snowfall since 1962, pictured here. 

While Athens regularly tops European temperature charts in the summer, it hit record-breaking lows in January 2019. Temperatures dropped below zero and rare snow blanketed the ancient capital, along with parts of southwestern Greece, as a cold snap reached the Mediterranean from Siberia. The sight of snow lightly dusting the ruins of the Acropolis and other ancient monuments was a spectacular one but the extreme weather brought chaos to the capital’s roads.

Heavy snowfall transformed the pretty villages and bushland of New South Wales’ Blue Mountains region into a winter wonderland in June 2019. Snow settling is a fairly rare event here but does happen. The Upper Mountains generally have five days of snow each year, while the lower part, where the settlements are, can often be icy and dusted in frost during the Southern Hemisphere's winter. Unusually, the cold weather of June 2019 also saw snow flurries in Queensland as well as low-lying parts of Tasmania, Victoria and New South Wales.
 

A snowshoeing expedition on Tasmania’s dramatic Overland Track is just one of many ways in which you can explore the island's stunning snowy landscapes. The state's mountains are often cloaked in the white stuff during the winter months, including Cradle Mountain (pictured), which along with the wider Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park transforms into an icy wonderland. The coldest month of the year is July, although it has been known for it to snow here in summer.

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The holy city can look like a snow globe scene during particularly cold winters – pictured here is the Dome of the Rock shrine in the Old City after heavy snowfall in February 2015. Jerusalem and its surrounding mountainous areas also saw heavy snow flurries in January 2019.

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This idyllic alpine scene could easily be in the thickly forested Bavarian Alps or in the far northern peaks of snowy Sweden. But it is, in fact, the Troodos Mountains in the sun-kissed Eastern Mediterranean island-country of Cyprus. The forest-clad mountain range becomes a picturesque frozen wilderness from mid-December until the end of March and draws skiers to play on its slopes. 

Another unlikely ski destination is Iran. The country's four main ski resorts, Dizin, Shemshak, Darbandsar and Tochal, are located in the centre of the Alborz mountains in the north. With plenty of powder, pristine off-piste runs and altitudes of up to 11,800 feet (3,600m) these destinations are usually popular with backcountry skiers.

With its steep forested hillsides and lush green valleys, the Himachal Pradesh capital was the summer capital for the British during colonial times as they sought to escape the intense heat elsewhere. However, Shimla arguably becomes even more stunning from December to January when its peaks and forests are dusted in snow. Kufri, a small hill station in the Shimla district, is one of the best places to experience the wintry weather and take part in a variety of snow-based activities.

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You know about cherry blossom and hot springs, but did you know Japan gets some of the most snow on earth? The Hakuba Valley, at the northern end of the spectacular Japan Alps, is one of the country’s snowiest spots. With 10 ski resorts, which are located at the base of the Ushiro Tateyama Mountain Range in northern Nagano Prefecture, it is also one of the country’s largest and most renowned alpine resorts. It enjoys an average snowfall of 33-43 feet (10-13m) between December and March.

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Winter is a harsh but beautiful season in Japan’s Aomori Prefecture too with Mount Hakkoda, pictured, also famed for its deep and pristine powder. Along with the Zao ski resort in Yamagata Prefecture, it is one of the only places in Japan that has the right conditions to form snow monsters. These surreal shapes, also known as ghost or ice trees, are produced when water droplets carried by strong seasonal winds clash with the evergreens and freeze them in place. No wonder Aomori City itself is the snowiest city in the world. 

 

Though snow is rare in the southern states of the USA, it’s not unheard of. Pictured here is the Big Bend National Park in southwest Texas after a snowstorm – snowfalls occur once or twice during an average winter in the park, usually at elevations of 3,500 feet (1,066m) and upwards. Amarillo, located in the Texas Panhandle, receives an average of 1ft 5in (0.4m) of snow during the course of the year.

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A cold front blanketed the streets and high-rises of Las Vegas, along with surrounding mountains and desert in Nevada in February 2019. The winter snowstorm covered the runways of Las Vegas’ airport with a rare 0.8 inches (2cm) of snow, causing cancellations and delays. Nearby Lee Canyon (or Mount Charleston), a small resort popular for skiing, snowshoeing and tubing around 45 minutes from Sin City, recorded more than one foot (0.3m) of the white stuff. 

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Usually seen soaked in sun, Turkey's largest city was engulfed in a rare snowstorm in January 2022. It is the coldest month in Istanbul but rarely do temperatures dip quite this low. Istanbul Airport – Europe's busiest – was forced to close for several days and flights were grounded as up to 2ft.6in (0.8m) of the white stuff fell. Schools, vaccination centres and major roads had to close as people stayed indoors to take refuge from this unusual weather. Athens in Greece was also hit by the snowstorm.