Striking new images from the Sahara Desert reveal vast lakes forming among the iconic sand dunes, after one of the driest regions in the world experienced its first significant flooding in decades.
While the Sahara does get occasional rainfall, it’s usually minimal—just a few inches annually—and rarely happens in late summer. However, in September, a powerful low-pressure system moved over the northwestern Sahara, bringing heavy rains to southeastern Morocco. Over two days, intense downpours transformed the desert landscape, leaving behind unusual lakes and flooded areas.
NASA’s preliminary satellite data indicated that nearly 8 inches of rain fell in some parts of the region, an extraordinary amount for an area accustomed to extreme dryness. In the desert city of Errachidia, southeast Morocco, nearly 3 inches of rain fell over those two days. That’s over four times the normal rainfall for the entire month of September and equivalent to more than half a year’s worth of rain for the region.
“We haven’t seen rainfall like this in 30 to 50 years,” said Houssine Youabeb from Morocco’s meteorology agency, speaking to the Associated Press.
The flooding drastically altered the desert’s typical arid landscape. In places like Merzouga, a town famous for its vast sand dunes, new lakes emerged, their surfaces reflecting the palm trees of the oasis-like scenery. Iriqui National Park, Morocco’s largest national park, also saw its usually dry lakebeds fill with water. NASA’s satellite images, which use false color to emphasize floodwaters, showcased these newly formed lakes stretching across vast portions of the northwest Sahara.
This flooding did not occur in completely uninhabited areas, and some towns and villages were also impacted. Last month’s floods tragically claimed the lives of over a dozen people in Morocco, underscoring the destructive potential of such extreme weather events in the region.
The Sahara, the world’s largest hot desert, spans 3.6 million square miles. September’s storms pushed further north than usual, temporarily turning vast sections of the desert green. Some research has suggested that human-caused climate change may be playing a role in these shifting weather patterns, increasing the likelihood of such heavy rainfall events in the future. As fossil fuel pollution continues to warm the planet, it is expected that the water cycle will face further disruption, potentially bringing more extreme weather to even the world’s driest places.
SOURCE: CNN
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