Oct 12, 2024, 03:09 PM IST

Sahara Desert witnesses first floods in 50 years, photos go viral

Pravrajya Suruchi

Parts of the Sahara Desert in southeastern Morocco experienced severe flooding after two days of intense rainfall, exceeding annual averages.

The village of Tagounite, located 450km south of Rabat, recorded over 100mm of rain in just 24 hours, a rare event in this arid region.

Satellite images from NASA showed that Lake Iriqui, which had been a dry lake bed for 50 years, was refilled due to the heavy rainfall.

Moroccan meteorology officials confirmed that this level of rainfall hadn't been seen in 30 to 50 years.

The affected region, which includes remote villages like Tagounite, saw unusual water accumulation, disrupting daily life in these normally dry areas.

The once-dry Lake Iriqui, situated between Zagora and Tata, came back to life after being dry for half a century, as seen in satellite images.

Houssine Youabeb from Morocco's meteorology agency described the rain as unprecedented in recent decades, marking it as a significant weather event for the desert region.