What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think about the Sahara desert? More than likely, you think about an endless view of sand, but that is not always the case.
Even though the Sahara desert is one of the driest areas on earth, new images are showing that water is certainly possible. They show that the Sahara desert has been flooded by recent rainfall and it is more water than the desert has seen in decades.
Pools of water are seen filling up between palm trees in the desert in southeast Morocco. This occurred after the Moroccan government reported that rain fell over the course of two days in September and in some areas, the two days exceeded the maximum yearly average of rainfall.
Typically, the area might see 250 mL of rain, which is about 10 inches of rain annually. In Tagounite, a village about 280 miles south of Rabat, 3.9 inches of rain fell in only 24 hours.
A representative from the General Directorate of Meteorology in Morocco, Houssine Youabeb said: “It’s been 30 to 50 years since we’ve had this much rain in such a short space of time.”
NASA satellites are showing water flowing into the dry bed of Lake Iriqui. That lake bed hasn’t seen water in some 50 years. Additional images show water filling the area between palm trees.
This is an unusual event, to say the least, but it will go a long way in helping to refill groundwater aquifers. In turn, communities that live in the desert will be better suited to survive.
Some reservoirs in the area were also filled by the rainfall, and it may just help to prevent a drought from occurring.
Although this is positive news, there is some negative news that goes along with it as well. In Morocco and Algeria, more than 20 people are confirmed dead as the floodwaters worked through the area. 56 homes were also confirmed to have been destroyed in the flood.