A rare downpour has turned parts of the Sahara Desert into stunning blue lagoons, with water pooling around palm trees and sand dunes, the Associated Press reported on Wednesday.
Southeastern Morocco, one of the driest places on earth, experienced more rainfall in just two days last September than it typically receives in an entire year.
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The Moroccan government reported that rainfall exceeded yearly averages in several regions, particularly in Tata, which was severely affected. In Tagounite, a village approximately 450 kilometers south of Rabat, more than 100 millimeters of rain fell within a mere 24 hours.
The unprecedented flooding resulted in rare scenes of water flowing through the desert sands, even filling Lake Iriqui, a dry lake bed that had not seen water in 50 years. Tourists and locals took to their 4×4 vehicles to navigate through the flooded desert.
“It’s been 30 to 50 years since we’ve had this much rain in such a short space of time,” stated Houssine Youabeb from Morocco’s General Directorate of Meteorology. Meteorologists noted that this unusual rainfall, attributed to an extratropical storm, could lead to more frequent storms in the region.
While this downpour brings relief after six years of drought that have caused significant water shortages in Morocco, it also left more than 20 people dead in Morocco and Algeria, and resulted in damage to farmers’ crops. In response, the government has released emergency aid to assist those affected.
