Could Libya’s First Snowfall in 15 Years Be a Good Omen?

Winter Wonderland for Libyans

The Green Mountain in northeastern Libya was veiled white this week as snow fell in the area for the first time in 15 years.

The rare flurry began on Monday and is expected to continue for at least two more days.

Families from the Sidi Mohamed Al-Hamri area dressed warmly and headed outside for fun-filled snowball fights, to build snowmen, and enjoy the wintry scenery.

Snow and Peace in Libya?

Mohammed Saleh, a Bayda Resident, believes that the snowfall is an omen for peace in the country.

"We hope the snowfall will be a good sign for our homeland by unifying our institutions and unifying our country and for people to return to one another and love each other. As we see now, the children, people and families that came to this area, the area of Sidi Mohamed Al-Hamri."

Ali Al-Shairi, another Bayda Resident, came out to capture the positive energy.

"As an amateur photographer, I came to this place to document the scene, so I was here and actually surprised by the number of families who came here to take pictures in the snow."

According to the Libyan National Meteorological Center, temperatures near and below zero were recorded on Monday in several cities — including Al-Bayda, Yefren, Nalut and Al-Marj, as well as Green Mountain and the Nafusa Mountain.