Â鶹´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Striking images show rare floods in the largest hot desert on Earth

A view of lakes caused by heavy rainfall between sand dunes are pictured in the desert town of Merzouga, near Rachidia, southeastern Morocco on October 2. AP via CNN Newsource A view of lakes caused by heavy rainfall between sand dunes are pictured in the desert town of Merzouga, near Rachidia, southeastern Morocco on October 2. AP via CNN Newsource
Share

Striking images from the show large lakes etched into rolling sand dunes after one of the most arid, barren places in the world was hit with its first floods in decades.

The Sahara does experience rain, but usually just a few inches a year and rarely in late summer. Over two days in September, however, intense rain fell in parts of the desert in southeast Morocco, after a low pressure system pushed across northwestern Sahara.

Preliminary NASA satellite data showed of rain in some parts of the region.

Errachidia, a desert city in southeast Morocco, recorded nearly 3 inches of rainfall, most of it across just two days last month. That’s more than four times the normal rainfall for the whole month of September, and equates to more than half a year’s worth for this area.

“It’s been 30 to 50 years since we’ve had this much rain in such a short space of time,’ Houssine Youabeb from Morocco’s meteorology agency told AP last week.

As the rain flowed over the desert terrain, it created a new, watery landscape amid the palm trees and scrubby flora.

Palm trees reflect in a lake caused by heavy rainfall in the desert town of Merzouga, near Rachidia, in southeastern Morocco on October 2. AP via CNN NewsourceSome of the most dramatic images are from the desert town of Merzouga, where the rare deluge carved new lakes into the sand dunes.

The reflections of the town’s palm trees now shimmer across the expanse of a new lagoon, framed by steep sand dunes.

The rain also filled lakes that are normally dry, such as one in Iriqui National Park, Morocco’s largest national park. NASA satellite images from the region, using false color to better highlight the floodwaters, show newly-formed lakes across swaths of the northwest Sahara.

While much of the rain fell on sparsely-populated remote areas, some fell on Morocco’s towns and villages causing deadly flooding last month, which killed more than a dozen people.

The Sahara is the world’s largest non-polar desert, stretching across 3.6 million square miles. Satellite images from September showed as storms pushed further north than usual, a phenomenon have linked to human-caused climate change.

More extreme rainfall events in the Sahara in the future, according to recent research, as fossil fuel pollution continues heats up the planet and .

CNN’s Brandon Miller contributed to this report.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

'Escalating incidents' between two Hamilton high schools are believed to be connected to a car crash last week that left a 15-year-old boy dead, police say.

British Columbia's New Democratic Party says it is responsible for a parody social media post that has B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad promising to bring back McDonald's McRib sandwiches.

Local Spotlight

Sometimes love is written in the stars, but for one couple, it’s written in the aurora borealis.

Canadian hip hop artist Dillan King says running 100 marathons in 100 days was not only the hardest thing he has ever done, but the 'proudest accomplishment' of his entire life.

James Taylor never expected to be walking home with a bag full of groceries he didn't buy.

This weekend marks the fifth anniversary of a large blizzard that paralyzed Manitoba.

There was an eye-catching mix of rainbows and lightning over Vancouver following a brief downpour this week.

Jeff Warner from Aidie Creek Gardens in the northern Ontario community of Englehart has a passion for growing big pumpkins and his effort is paying off in more ways than one.

Saskatchewan’s Jessica Campbell has made hockey history, becoming the first ever female assistant coach in the National Hockey League (NHL).

Have you ever seen videos of hovercrafts online or on TV and thought, 'Wow, I wish I could ride one of those.' One Alberta man did, and then built his own.

A B.C. couple is getting desperate – and creative – in their search for their missing dog.