In a highly unusual event, parts of the Sahara Desert experienced severe flooding after two days of heavy rainfall in southeastern Morocco, surpassing the region’s typical yearly averages. Morocco’s meteorology agency reported that the village of Tagounite, located about 450 kilometers south of Rabat, recorded more than 100mm of rain in just 24 hours this past September.
NASA’s satellite images revealed a dramatic change in Lake Iriqui, a dry lake bed situated between Zagora and Tata, which had been dry for over 50 years. The heavy downpour refilled the lake, marking an extraordinary transformation.
“This is the most rain we’ve seen in such a short period in the last 30 to 50 years,” said Houssine Youabeb, an official from Morocco’s meteorology agency, in an interview with the Associated Press. Meteorologists identified this rare event as an extratropical storm, which could have lasting effects on the region’s climate. As warmer air retains more moisture, it leads to increased evaporation and a higher likelihood of storms, according to Youabeb.
The flooding caused by the recent rains claimed 18 lives in Morocco and affected regions that were still recovering from an earthquake the year before, as reported by The Guardian. Additionally, reservoirs in southeastern Morocco saw a rapid and unprecedented increase in water levels during September.
The Sahara Desert, which spans over 9 million square kilometers across North, Central, and West Africa, is increasingly vulnerable to extreme weather due to global warming. Experts have warned that storms of this intensity could become more frequent in the future.
Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organisation, highlighted the broader implications of climate change. “With rising temperatures, the hydrological cycle has sped up and become more unpredictable. We’re seeing more cases of either too much or too little water. A warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, increasing the risk of heavy rainfall. At the same time, faster evaporation worsens droughts and dries out soils,” she said. These changing patterns pose new challenges for regions like the Sahara, which are already facing the consequences of global warming.
