In the southeast of the Sahara Desert, heavy rains not seen for half a century have caused surprising flood scenes. This area, known as one of the driest regions in the world, faced the heaviest rainfall in the last 50 years. The striking images that emerge reveal that the Sahara Desert is experiencing an unusual natural event.
Southeastern MoroccoIn just two days, towns were flooded with 6 months of rainfall. After 50 years, images of such intense floods emerged in the Sahara Desert in southeastern Morocco. Moroccan Meteorological Agency, “It was 30 to 50 years ago that we had this much rainfall in such a short period of time.” He made a statement. These sudden rains in the Sahara Desert may change weather conditions in the region in the coming months.
The Hot and Dry Climate of the Sahara is Changing
Spreading across 10 countries in north, central and west Africa Sahara is the world’s largest hot desert It is known as. But southeast Morocco is one of the driest regions in the world It rarely rains at the end of summer.
Normally, rainfall in the Sahara does not exceed a few centimeters annually, but the low pressure system that occurred in September led to heavy rainfall in some areas in the region. Preliminary data from NASA’s satellites show that some parts of this region received about 20 centimeters of rain.
Abnormal Situations Encountered with Record Rainfall
In the city of Errachidia, 8 cm of rainfall recorded in just two days was more than four times the normal amount for September, equivalent to half a year’s worth of rainfall expected for the region. “It goes back 30 to 50 years for us to have this much rainfall in such a short period of time,” said Houssine Youabeb of the Moroccan Meteorological Agency.
A New Waterscape
The rain flowed over the desert landscape, creating a new wetland among the palms and shrubs. Lakes formed in the sand dunes in the desert town of Merzouga created some of the most striking images.
In the village of Tagounite, 450 kilometers south of the capital Rabat, more than 100 millimeters of rainfall was recorded in 24 hours, well above the annual average. This has also filled the usually dry lakes in Iriqui National Park, Morocco’s largest national park.
New Lakes with NASA’s Satellite Images
Satellite images colored by NASA reveal newly formed lakes in large areas northwest of the Sahara. The first image, taken on August 14, 2024, shows parts of the Sahara in Morocco and Algeria, while the second image, taken on September 10, 2024, highlights the lake in Iriqui National Park.
Flood Disaster and Loss of Life
While most of the precipitation fell on sparsely populated remote areas, in some areas rain fell on towns and villages, causing deadly floods. More than a dozen people lost their lives as a result of these incidents last month.
Effects of Climate Change
The Sahara is the world’s largest non-polar desert, covering an area of 3.6 million square miles. Satellite images in September showed large areas turning green as storms moved further north than normal. Research reveals that unless fossil fuel addiction is stopped, the planet will continue to warm and the water cycle will be disrupted. This could mean more extreme rainfall in the near future in unlikely places like the Sahara.
The Role of Extratropical Storms
Meteorologists call such rare rainfall events “extratropical storms.” The Moroccan Meteorological Agency states that evaporation increases as the air retains more moisture, causing more storms.
Warnings from the World Meteorological Organization
World Meteorological Organization (WMO)) Secretary General Celeste Saulo, at the press conference she held the other day, “As a result of rising temperatures, the hydrological cycle has accelerated and become more unpredictable. “We face a growing problem of either too little or too much water.” he said. While extreme weather events are occurring more frequently due to global warming, scientists predict that similar storms may occur again in the Sahara Desert in the future, which could dramatically change the weather of the region.
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