The Sahara desert is flooding for the first time in half a century as more than a year's worth of rain falls in 2 days
When it rains, it pours
We all know the phrase 'to be as dry as the Sahara desert'.
The South-eastern Moroccan desert, which stretches across North Africa, is the largest hot desert in the world, and the third largest out of the lot.
It stretches around a whopping 9.2 million km², all the way from the Red Sea in the east, to the Atlantic Ocean in the west.
Typically, the desert remains as dry as it is, due to being located along a belt of subtropical air pressure, which prevents clouds from forming and so, stays off the rain.
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However, now the Sahara desert has experienced flooding for the first time in 50 years.
Last month, two days of rainfall hit areas of the South-east of Morocco. While that doesn't seem like a lot of those of used to a little drizzle, just those two days exceeding the annual average of rainfall, which can see less than 250mm.
As reported by the Guardian, the village of Tagounite, located south of the capital of Rabat, recorded more than 100m of rainfall within 24 hours timeframe.
Housssine Youabeb, an official of Morocco's meteorology agent, told the Associated Press that, 'It’s been 30 to 50 years since we’ve had this much rain in such a short space of time.'
This type of rainfall has been dubbed as 'extratropical storms' by fellow meteorologists.
The recorded rainfall in September, according to Youabeb, could also have a 'year-long' effect on the country's weather going forward, due to the increased amount of moisture now in the air.
The flooding, which was captured via satellite image from NASA, shows a stunning scene where sand dunes are engulfed by the risen lake bed of Lake Iriqui. For the first time in half a century, this lake is now entirely full.
Before now, Morocco has faced severe challenges brought on by a six-year-long drought. This drought has resulted in farmers having to travel to far out to places in order to source water for their crops. However, now, the areas reservoirs are filling up as record-breaking rates.
Aquifers, a layer of underground rock which stores water, located beneath the desert, will likely now be a more helpful source of water for locals.
While any positives can't get be quantified, last month's unexpected flooding has reportedly damaged some local farmland. Worse still, the flooding has taken the lives of approximately 20 people in Morocco and Algeria.
Hopefully, there won't be any more devastating effects caused by the rainfall. However, with the newly increased moisture in the Moroccan air, we can only speculate for now.