The Sahara desert is witness to heavy floods, greenery after the September rains; Lake Iriqui full of water

One of the driest places on earth, the Sahara desert, is experiencing a dramatic turn of events and witnessed severe flooding after two days of torrential rains in southeastern Morocco, it reported. AP.

According to Morocco’s meteorological agency, the town of Tagounite, located 450 km south of the capital Rabat, received more than 100 mm of rain in just 24 hours in September.

The meeting agency also mentioned that only two days in September the rainfall exceeded the annual average of 250 mm, including most of the arid areas.

Storms in September left stunning images of water gushing through the sands of the Sahara amidst castles and desert flora, the report added.

On September 10, MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured a false-color image of the runoff and resulting flood water.

Two weeks ago, satellite images from NASA’s Earth Observatory showed that the region is seeing a surprising explosion of vegetation, where water is pouring in to fill Lake Iriqui, which is a famous lake bed between Zagora and Tata and dry for 50 years. The same region was dry and arid in the image captured on August 14.

On September 7 and 8, the cyclone flooded parts of the northwestern Sahara, especially large, treeless areas of the region.

Tourists in 4×4 motor vehicles gazed at the scene in awe.

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

What does the weatherman say?

According to meteorologists, these rains, extratropical storms, can change the course of the region’s climate in the coming months and years. The air holds more moisture, causing evaporation, which leads to more storms, Youabeb added.

Over the past six years, droughts have posed challenges for much of Morocco, forcing farmers to leave their fields fallow. They also forced them to leave cities and towns to ration water.

This rainfall is expected to help replenish the large underground aquifers beneath the desert, which are relied upon to supply water to desert communities.

Throughout September, the region’s reservoirs reported recharging at record rates, although it remains unclear how far September rains will go to ease the drought.