Striking images from the Sahara Desert reveal large lakes forming in sand dunes after the region experienced its first floods in decades. Typically, the Sahara receives only a few inches of rain annually, but intense rainfall occurred over two days in September due to a low pressure system in northwestern Sahara.
Preliminary NASA data indicated nearly 8 inches of rain in some areas, with Errachidia in southeast Morocco recording nearly 3 inches—over four times the normal September amount. Meteorologist Houssine Youabeb noted that it’s been 30 to 50 years since this much rain in such a short space of time.
The rain transformed the desert landscape, creating new lakes and lagoons, particularly in the town of Merzouga. While much of the rain fell in remote areas, it also caused deadly flooding in some Moroccan towns, resulting in over a dozen fatalities.
Recent satellite images show vast areas of the Sahara carpeted in green, a phenomenon linked to climate change. Future extreme rainfall events in the Sahara are expected as fossil fuel pollution continues to disrupt the water cycle.
