RABAT: In a rare meteorological event, the Sahara Desert has experienced unprecedented flooding for the first time in decades.
Located in southeastern Morocco, the Sahara is typically one of the driest places on Earth, with minimal rainfall at the end of summer.
According to CBS News, rainfall over just two days in September exceeded the average annual precipitation in several areas, which previously recorded less than 25.4cm, particularly impacting Tata, one of the worst affected regions.
In Tagounite, a village approximately 450km south of the capital Rabat, over 9.9cm of rain fell within just 24 hours.
Imagery from the United States' National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) revealed water flowing into Lake Iriqui, which has not seen water for 50 years.
Such occurrences are exceedingly rare; the Sebkha el Melah lake in Algeria has only been filled with water six times between 2000 and 2021.
CBS News quoted Houssine Youabeb, from the Moroccan Meteorological Department, as saying the area has not experienced such rainfall in 30 to 50 years.
He said this type of rainfall, referred to as an extratropical storm, could alter weather patterns in the coming times, leading to increased moisture retention, evaporation, and more storms.
While the heavy rains may help replenish groundwater, believed to supply local communities, they have also resulted in tragic consequences, claiming the lives of over 20 people in Morocco and Algeria and damaging agricultural produce.
A prolonged six-year drought had already forced farmers to abandon fields and prompted water rationing in towns and villages.