Sahara

A rare downpour has turned parts of the Sahara Desert into blue lagoons, with water pooling around palm trees and sand dunes, the Associated Press reports on Wednesday.

According to reports, Southeastern Morocco, one of the driest places on earth, experienced more rain in two days last September than it usually does in a year.

The Moroccan government reported rainfall that exceeded yearly averages in several areas, including Tata, which was hit hard.

In Tagounite, a village about 450km south of Rabat, more than 100 millimetres of rain fell in just 24 hours.

The flooding created rare images of water flowing through desert sands, even filling Lake Iriqui, a dry lake bed that hadn’t seen water in 50 years.

Tourists and locals in 4x4s drove through the flooded desert.

“It’s been 30 to 50 years since we’ve had this much rain in such a short space of time,” said Houssine Youabeb of Morocco’s General Directorate of Meteorology.

Meteorologists said this kind of rain, caused by an extratropical storm, could lead to more frequent storms in the region.

According to AP, six years of drought in Morocco have caused water shortages, but this rainfall may help replenish groundwater and refill reservoirs.

Despite the relief, the flooding left more than 20 people dead in Morocco and Algeria, and farmers’ crops were damaged, prompting the government to release emergency aid.