Two-day heavy rainfall causes first floods in Sahara in half century
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Satellite imagery from NASA revealed that Lake Iriqui, a lake bed situated between Zagora and Tata that had been dry for 50 years, was filled with water.
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A view of lakes caused by heavy rainfall between sand dunes in the desert town of Merzouga, near Rachidia, southeastern Morocco, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. (AP Photo)
Striking images have emerged showcasing the first floods in the Sahara Desert in half a century.
According to officials from Morocco's meteorology agency, two days of rainfall in September surpassed annual averages in several regions of southeastern Morocco, resulting in significant flooding.
In Tagounite, a village located approximately 450 km (280 miles) south of the capital, Rabat, over 100 mm (3.9 inches) of rain was recorded within a 24-hour period.
Satellite imagery from NASA revealed that Lake Iriqui, a lake bed situated between Zagora and Tata that had been dry for 50 years, was filled with water.
“It’s been 30 to 50 years since we’ve had this much rain in such a short space of time," Houssine Youabeb, an official with Morocco’s meteorology agency told the Associated Press.
Meteorologists have classified these rains as an extratropical storm, which may alter weather patterns in the region in the coming months and years. As the atmosphere retains more moisture, it increases evaporation and triggers additional storms, Youabeb explained.
The flooding in Morocco claimed the lives of 18 individuals last month, with effects felt in areas previously impacted by an earthquake last year. Reports also indicated that dammed reservoirs in the southeastern region were refilling at unprecedented rates throughout September.
The Sahara, spanning 9.4 million square kilometers (3.6 million square miles), is the largest hot desert in the world and crosses through a dozen countries in North, Central, and West Africa.
Many of these nations have faced recurring droughts, and the increase in extreme weather events linked to global warming has led scientists to predict that similar storms may occur in the Sahara in the future.
Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization, emphasized to reporters on Monday that water cycles across the globe are changing with increasing frequency.
"As a result of rising temperatures, the hydrological cycle has accelerated. It has also become more erratic and unpredictable, and we are facing growing problems of either too much or too little water," she warned.
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